Thug Life plot:

Ranganayaka Sakthivel (Kamal Haasan), a mafia boss, raises Amar (Silambarasan), a young paperboy he saves from a police shootout, as his own child. Amar becomes a vital touch point in the network years later as their empire expands, to the point where he is Sakthivel's right-hand man, who appoints him as head in his absence. However, what if the balance of power changes and Amar takes over as the new head after violently overthrowing Sakthivel?

Review of Thug Life:

Rangaraaya Sakthivel is introduced to us at the start of Thug Life, which has a fairytale-like format of "once upon a time." He claims that it's the tale of his relationship with death. Throughout the movie, Sakthivel dances with the idea of death, both literally and figuratively. However, the Mani Ratnam picture falters and is put to the test of patience when Thug Life enters a coma-like condition where the emotions are muted and only the actions start to add color to the script.

The movie begins in 1994, Old Delhi, where a police shootout takes place to arrest Sakthivel and his brother Manickam (Nasser), the brains behind the city's seedy underbelly, during its first twenty or so minutes, which are shot in monochromatic photography. The young Amaran encounters Sakthivel in that precise spot, and as the latter puts it, they are united by death. Mani Ratnam then transports us to 2016, when he presents us with a sequence of occurrences, including a young girl's suicide after being duped and the rescue of singer Indrani (Trisha) from Mumbai's exploitative clutches. You will be bombarded with characters who enter and exit in tandem if you ask if these truly contribute to the script. The characters are not simply black and white, much like the city's background, which has an ancient allure yet a gloomy side. As Sakthivel frequently expresses how much he adores his wife Jeeva (Abhirami), he feels that it is perfectly acceptable for him to say "Madam, I am your only Adam" to the other woman he saved. In contrast, we see Amar as a man who seems to have forgotten about his father, who passed away in front of his eyes, only to be swept away by a sudden wave when reality seems to feed on him.

Mani Ratnam makes a lot of pawns in Thug Life, and there's a lot going on. In his own way, Sadanand, a rival kingpin, and Sakthivel are engaged in a complex game of cat and mouse. The Thug Life starts its game with the audience to test their patience when you assume that the substantial screen time that the villain has been given appeals to a certain degree. The creators appear to be overly permissive with each of the many characters, treating them similarly to a child who becomes disinterested in a toy over time by tossing it away and playing with it as necessary. Thug Life, unlike Nayakan, which explores the rise and fall of a single guy and how the morality of what is good and bad is investigated, stays within its singular dimension. You are expected to succumb to the decision to make whether a certain figure is good or bad at any given moment. This basic choice by masters of filmmaking is very disheartening since there is no middle ground.

Thug The screenplay has a number of issues, and this is not the only one. There is little emotional resonance, and after a while, it seems like the entire film is being carried by outstanding performances. Simbu and Kamal Haasan have a palpable onscreen chemistry, and their performances are remarkable. However, Thug Life provides little in the way of cinematic spectacle when the screenplay is obviously perplexed and the villains keep switching. It's also a curse for the script that we get to be teased with backstories of each character, such as that of the singer Indrani or her relationship with Amaran. Consider Jeeva, who appears to adore her spouse despite his blatant infidelity. Thug Life prioritizes spectacular images above emotional intelligence and consistency, even though the ideas of treachery, betrayal, or jealousy itself are delightful topics to examine with cinematic license.

The cast's performances in Thug Life are, to repeat, outstandingly portrayed time and time again. Despite having little on-screen time, Ashok Selvan and Aishwarya Lekshmi manage to pull it off and make the most of their appearances, while seasoned actors like Nasser, Abhirami, and Joju George perform their roles with the highest dedication. However, when outstanding performances seem hollow without strong writing to support them, Thug Life also falls prey to the newest victim.

Verdict on Thug Life:

There are high hopes for the picture made by Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam. However, it has brought a wave of disappointments since its release. Thug Life seems to be a meandering movie with a screenplay that lacks emotional resonance and direction, and it didn't linger on developing a strong plot.

Read Also: Stolen Review: Survival, Suspense, and a Standout Performance by Banerjee

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