‘Thug Life‘ is a Tamil gangster action drama film directed by veteran Mani Ratnam and written by noted actor and politician Kamal Haasan. Haasan and Ratnam are reuniting after nearly 36 years since their cult classic ‘Nayakan’ and the film will be released worldwide on June 5, 2025 in multiple platforms including IMAX and EPIQ.
The film is set in the brutal underworld of mafia conflicts, focusing on Rangaraya Sakthivel Nayakar, played by Kamal Haasan, a formidable gang leader. Sakthivel rescues and adopts a young boy named Amaran during a violent gang war, and raises him as his own son, thus beginning the story of the film. However, when Sakthivel survives an assassination attempt, he begins to suspect that Amaran, his foster son, played by Silambarasan (STR), may be behind the betrayal.The film also features a stellar ensemble cast including Trisha Krishnan, Abhirami, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Joju George, Nassar, Ali Fazal, Rohit Saraf, Mahesh Manjrekar and a special appearance by Sanya Malhotra. The music is composed by Oscar-winning legend A.R. Rahman, adding a powerful auditory dimension to the film’s intense atmosphere. With a runtime of approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes, ‘Thug Life’ has a UA 16+ rating, denoting mature themes and intense action sequences.
‘Thug Life’ Box Office Collection Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan starrer makes a strong debut in Tamil Nadu
Director Mani Ratnam directed Kamal Haasan’s long-awaited gangster drama ‘Thug Life’ has finally hit the theatres worldwide except Karnataka, where the film could not release due to the ongoing controversy over Kamal Haasan’s comments about his Kannada origin. Despite the regional barriers, the film did well in Tamil Nadu, where Haasan’s fans have consistently shown strong support.
‘Thug Life’ dominates Tamil Nadu’s big screens
According to SaccNilc, ‘Thug Life’ made an impressive opening in its home turf. The film released on over 800 screens in Tamil Nadu, showing over 3,000 shows on the first day. In cities like Chennai and Chengalpattu, over 1,100 shows were screened on 110 screens alone. In Coimbatore, the film ran with 790 shows in 95 theatres, while in Madurai, 491 shows were screened in 49 screens. Dindigul and Pondicherry also saw a notable number of shows with 37 and 57 shows respectively.
Low response for Hindi and Telugu versions
While the Tamil version opened well, the other languages also witnessed disappointing results. The Hindi version, which released in 4,092 shows, grossed just Rs 25 lakh on the first day, indicating a poor response in North India. The Telugu version fared slightly better, earning a meagre Rs 53 lakh from over 1,800 shows. Despite these figures, Thug Life grossed Rs 5.2 crore in India on the first day, more than its Tamil version, taking the total advance bookings in various languages to Rs 6.6 crore.