Thug Life was released in theatres today. Produced jointly by Raaj Kamal Films International, Madras Talkies, and Red Giant Movies, the film's review is out.
Plot:
Following a life-threatening incident in 1994, gangster Rangaraya Shaktiraju (Kamal Haasan) adopts Amar (Simbu), whose father was killed in a shootout. As far as he is concerned, Amar is like a son. Cut to the present, friction between Shaktiraju and Amar arises after the latter joins forces with a cunning politician named Sadanand (Mahesh Manjrekar). Who plays a role in driving a wedge between the duo? Who is at greater fault - Shaktiraju or Amar? Will Amar's motive to lead a breakaway faction to glory bear results? What is Shaktiraju's endgame? Answers to these questions are found as the story progresses.
Post-Mortem:
By now, it is evident that Mani Ratnam has ceased to be a great storyteller. The old Mani Ratnam conceived inimitable scenes that are highly artistic. AR Rahman's unbeatable music made his narration look poetic. Flashes of the director's genius were evident in Ponniyin Selvan-I. But the second part was a difficult watch. Thug Life labours to be greater than Chekka Chivantha Vaanam but ends up being as bland as Kaatru Veliyidai.
Thug Life is more of a conversational gangster action drama spanning several years. The conversations, at the start, are non-serious. As they progress, they reveal the mindset, anxieties, and/or fears of the characters mouthing them. To this extent, the first half is somewhat engaging. The pre-interval fight is an instance of an old-school scene attempted to be stylized. The BGM in this stretch is experimental and slightly uneven.
The second half is a slow-burning drama with no hope for right pacing. The conversations are excessively dramatic, so much so that they should have been in an epic-scale movie. Pacing issues aside, the layered drama wouldn't have been a problem had the film not junked narrative cohesiveness and convenient coincidences. The transformation of Kamal Haasan's character, justifying the title, is unconvincing.
Kamal Haasan's Telugu dubbing is a big turn-off. When he says, "Amar yekkada", it sounds like he is saying, "Amar ikkada". He talks as though he is too old for his voice not to shiver. Simbu's performance is subtle. Trisha Krishnan, as Shaktiraju's mistress Indhrani, is routine. Abhirami, as Shaktiraju's wife, is forgettable. Nassar and Joju George play Shaktiraju's fellow travellers. Ashok Selvan is seen as a cop.
Closing Remarks:
Thug Life starts with a flicker of promise in its conversational first half but quickly devolves into a slow, dramatically overblown, and narratively incoherent mess in the second. Despite a subtle performance from Simbu, Kamal Haasan's unconvincing transformation and weak dubbing, coupled with Mani Ratnam's faltering storytelling, make this gangster drama a largely unengaging watch.
