Thug Life Movie Review
Thug Life Movie Review
Telugu360 Rating: 2/5
Legendary director Mani Ratnam is reuniting with top actor Kamal Haasan after a gap of 38 years. They worked together in Nayakudu in the past and they are now teaming up with Thug Life. Mani Ratnam has delivered several cult classics over the years though some of them ended up as disappointments. The trailer of Thug Life kept the bars of expectations high and the film released today. Here is the review of the film:
Story:
Rangaraya Shaktiraj (Kamal Haasan) is a gangster based in Delhi. He adopts Amar (Simbu) from his childhood days and there is a reason for this. During a shootout with the cops, Amar’s father loses his life. Rangaraya Shaktiraj promises Amar of finding his sister. Over the years, there would be a lot of rival gangs targeting Rangaraya Shaktiraj and his brother (Nasser) himself turns against them. An unexpected incident spoils the bond of Rangaraya Shaktiraj and Amar. The rest of Thug Life is all about the real story.
Analysis:
Mani Ratnam has directed fantastic gangster dramas in his career and the trend started with Kamal Haasan’s Nayakudu. Mani Ratnam picked up a similar plot for Thug Life. The story is about the internal rivalries of a gangster. But Thug Life misses the magic that happens in a Mani Ratnam’s film. Right from the plot to the narration, everything is outdated and bland throughout. Thug Life is also highly predictable and the drama is boring and slow paced.
The first ten minutes of Thug Life is impressive and the rest of the film is a boring feast. Simbu’s childhood episode along with the shootout stunt and Kamal promising Simbu about his sister are shot well. The rest of Thug Life happens on a routine template. Thug Life is about how multiple rivals target Rangaraya Shaktiraj. The episodes between Kamal Haasan and Abhirami are shot well. The interval episode is completely predictable. The second half of Thug Life is a huge misfire and the film offers nothing impactful. The audience will struggle to complete the film.
The internal conflicts in a gangster drama can be narrated on an interesting note. The director has to establish the characters well and pen powerful episodes. These are lacking in Thug Life. None of the characters look decent in the film. Even Simbu’s role is poorly written. Trisha is completely wasted. Thug Life is about the separated brother and sister. This plot is completely left over.
Performances:
Kamal Haasan is one of the finest performers of the country and he has done his role with ease. His performance excelled in each and every scene with Abhirami. Simbu did not fit well in the role of Amar. His look in the film is not convincing. Trisha is wasted completely. Abhirami has a fairly good role in the film and she did it with perfection. There are a lot of prominent actors but their characterizations are poor.
AR Rahman delivers one more disappointing album. Mani Ratnam too fails to get some decent work from Rahman. The background score fails to make an impact. The editing work by Srikar Prasad too is disappointing. The cinematography work in Thug Life is the major highlight of the film. Some of the dialogues in the film are good and the quality of dubbing is decent. The production values are grand throughout the film.
Final Word:
Thug Life is a huge disappointment from Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan.
Telugu360 Rating: 2/5
