On June 5, 2025, theaters all throughout the world, with the exception of Karnataka, where it was outlawed after a contentious remark he made during the film's marketing campaign, saw the release of Thug Life, the highly anticipated reunion between actor Kamal Haasan and director Mani Ratnam. The movie, which also starred Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Joju George, Nassar, Ali Fazal, and several others, was a huge financial flop. With Netflix announcing it as part of its 2025 package in January of this year, the movie's digital streaming rights were already in place long before it was released in theaters.

Thug Life to drop on OTT on or before 30-day mark

The original agreement called for an eight-week run, but it has been renegotiated because of the movie's failure in theaters. The Thug Life group has reportedly been fined Rs 25 lakh by the National Multiplex Association for failing to adhere to the scheme and is apparently receiving far less money from Netflix (Rs 110 cr as opposed to Rs 130 cr). The most recent sources say that Thug Life will be available on OTT in a month, following in the footsteps of movies like Retro. The movie is anticipated to debut on Netflix on July 4, 2025.

Given that the movie is close to the conclusion of its theatrical run and that it is not being released in Karnataka, even though the ban was lifted when Kamal prevailed in the Supreme Court, several industry trackers have predicted this potential OTT release date. However, weeks after the film's release, the Karnataka distributor decided against it, claiming that its commercial failure meant that he would not get a return on his investment.

In contrast, Thug Life was a mafia story in which Kamal's old gangster Rangaraya Saktivel was out for vengeance against those who had harmed him, even his own flesh and blood. The movie was criticized for its wafer-thin, predictable, and overused plot. Intriguingly, Kamal and Mani Ratnam collaborated on the film's screenplay, and they both served as producers as well.
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