Thug Life reviews hit at Mani Ratnam Direction - As Producers Duo are SAFE

 

Even Influencers who were celeberated as Thugfluencers  by Kamal- Mani combo ,seem to have washed their hands after seeing Thug Life. The box office collection from theatres goes direct into the pockets of Mani Ratnam and Kamal , as the entire cost of Rs 200 crores has been got from non theatrical rights. In short, Madras Talkies and RajKamal will have nothing to worry. The opening day gross is Rs 8 crores from Tamil Nadu. In all other areas the film has been given on a distribution basis – an amount has been collected as advance and if the distributor share falls below it , shortfall will be returned. The only loss is Mani’s reputation as a Director while Kamal the Actor esteem is untouched. Biggest beneficiary is STR as his acting skills have been showcased.

As a critic based in Chennai for decades , I have never seen Mani being so brutally attacked by reviewers online . When Indian 2 was heavily trolled, I saw it as a disappointment as it was a poor sequel to a iconic film. Shankar too was hit badly. Mani ,ost films that were not blockbusters and just about average was not subjected to such harsh criticism. The general consensus in reviews is that Mani has lot the plot and that it is too outdated and very confusing. From not fleshing out characters and extending out scenes, all that a Director should not do has been attributed to him.

In contrast Bollywood sites have been generous with their praise of the film and talking about goosebump moments.  The Chennai based The Hindu wrote : Despite an excellent Kamal Haasan, a restrained Silambarasan TR, great production design and superb cinematography, Mani Ratnam’s film is a generic gangster drama that makes you grope in the dark for its beating heart

Thug Life is a gangster crime drama with stretches so generic and cold that you might wonder if it was really the filmmaker at the helm.

Most happiest person is Khushbu Sundar. Her daughter Ananditha name figured in list of Mani;s Assistants in the film credits. It seems Khushbu’s daughter worked for a few days and left as she sprained her ankle. Ananditha was photographed with Kamal and Mani at film pooja and it was speculated that she was appearing on screen but now it seems that it was AD to Mani.