When a film comes with big names like Kamal Haasan, Mani Ratnam and A.R. Rahman, expectations are sky high. And when the name of that film is “Thug Life”, it seems that something explosive is going to happen. But unfortunately, this time the reality turned out to be something else. Let’s know why this film proved to be weak instead of doing wonders.
Plot Summary
The film begins with a gang war in Delhi, where two gangs are trying to reach a peace agreement but then Shakti (Kamal Haasan), who is the most powerful gangster in the city, enters. Meanwhile, a child loses his father and Shakti adopts him. With time, the same child grows up and turns against Shakti.
The twist in the story comes when the journey from Delhi directly to the Himalayas and Mount Kailash begins. Shakti returns from here after learning Judo-Karate for two years, but the film tells all this only through dialogues, without visuals.
The Aurangzeb-father-son power struggle angle has been added in the film, where the battle of power, betrayal and emotions has been shown, but it has not been portrayed properly on screen.
Performance Review
- Kamal Haasan: Leading such a big film at the age of 70 is commendable. His screen presence is strong, but his character seems incomplete and without depth.
- Cameo Appearance: Actors like Rohit Saraf, Sanya Malhotra, Ali Fazal appear in cameos in the film, but they do not make much impact.
Music & BGM
The expectations that one gets after hearing the name of A.R. Rahman are not fulfilled in this film. The music is very average. Only the last song sung by Shruti Haasan sounds a little better.
Direction & Screenplay
The classic filmmaking that one would expect from a legendary director like Mani Ratnam is missing from this film. The screenplay is stretched, slow and boring at places. It seems as if the film itself does not know what it wants to be – a gangster drama, a mythological thriller or an emotional story?
Runtime & Pacing
It is difficult to tolerate this 3-hour long film. By the interval, the film becomes so slow that the patience of the audience gives up. In today’s era of reels and short videos, a 3-hour long film can be successful only if every minute of it is worth it, but that is not the case here.
Positive Points
- Kamal Haasan’s screen presence
- Interesting and unique concept: Delhi gang war + Mughal history + power struggle
Negative Points
- Incomplete and scattered storyline
- Slow and ineffective screenplay
- Weak music
- Characters without purpose
- Failure to engage the audience
Rating: 2/5 stars
1 star – for Kamal Haasan
1 star – for interesting concept
Conclusion
“Thug Life” is a movie that has all the ingredients – a big star cast, a famous director, a music legend and a grand setup – but the dish that is prepared is neither tasty nor digestible. Like Thugs of Hindustan, this movie too gives the feeling of fraud by its name itself.
Kamal Haasan sir should really say “sorry”, but not just to Canada – to the fans all over India who expected another dhamakedar from him after a blockbuster like Vikram.