On the eve of Ulaga Nayagan Kamal Haasan’s 69th birthday, the makers of his next with Mani Ratnam revealed the title of the film as Thug Life through a title announcement video on Monday and boy it is stupendous! The film marks the two heavyweights of the Tamil film industry reuniting again after the cult classic Nayagan (1987).
Nearly three minutes in length, the video opens in a deserted place where Kamal, draped in a shawl, is standing alone while waiting for some men to pin him down. As the henchmen approach him with various weapons, Kamal reveals his name to be Rangaraya Sakthivel Nayakar from Kayalpattinam. “My destiny was etched on my forehead at birth that I will be a criminal, a thug and a Yakuza,” he says. He adds, “Yakuza means gangster in Japanese.” As the men near him, Nayakar, flashing his killer martial art skills, neutralizes them mercilessly one by one, while thundering: “This is the first time that death has come looking for me nor is it the last time.” The title is then disclosed to be Thug Life, while the shawl comes back on his shoulders. “The name is Rangaraya Sakthivel Nayakar. Don’t forget it,” he concludes.
Exquisitely shot by the master cameraman Ravi K Chandran, the video is outstanding and promises a violent gangster drama laced with superlative action in the offing. Anbariv’s action choreography is on point, while Kamal is Kamal. The background score by AR Rahman adds a layer of mystery to the video, in lieu of the film’s plot it seems.
Produced by Kamal Haasan, Mani Ratnam, R Mahendran and Siva Ananth under the banners of Raaj Kamal Films International, Madras Talkies and Red Giant Movies, Thug Life also features Jayam Ravi, Trisha and Dulquer Salmaan in supporting roles.
