The OG Thugs Assemble: Kamal Haasan, Mani Ratnam, AR Rahman and Star Cast at First Thug Life Media Meet in Mumbai

The city of dreams witnessed cinematic history in the making as the team of Thug Life came together for the first time in front of the Mumbai media for an exclusive promotional event. The event brought together the powerhouse trio of Kamal Haasan, Mani Ratnam, and AR Rahman — along with leading cast members Silambarasan TR, Trisha Krishnan,Abhirami and Ashokselvan — for an interaction with the press.

While the trailer of Thug Life has already taken the internet by storm, this event marked the first official promotional appearance of the cast and crew in Mumbai kickstarting the national promotions of the film. The team shared anecdotes from the sets, spoke about collaborating on a film of this scale, and reflected on the creative synergy that defines Thug Life.

Reflecting on his multi-faceted role in the film—as actor, writer, and producer—Kamal Haasan said: “The most exciting part was working with him (Mani Ratnam). Automatically, all the other things happened.”

Sharing his first impression of Mani Ratnam, Haasan recalled:
“My first impression is that I knew him as a friend living in the same area. I didn’t even know that he belonged to a film family. He was a person, and I liked the way he spoke. We became friends, and we had a group of friends. We were talking only cinema and no gossip—and that’s where it started. All of the films you mentioned—we all know about them, including when we were doing Nayakan in, I think, near Colaba. And Ramesh Sippy Saab was shooting in Film City. So we had some shots in Film City. We all went to see the shooting of Mr. Ramesh Sippy. Ultimately, the qualification that brought us here is that, like you, we have fans—we’re film buffs. That’s what brought us here. We’d go to any set to watch anybody work—especially those we consider talented. We’d like to watch them work. And that’s what we did.”

When asked about how the idea of Thug Life took shape, filmmaker Mani Ratnam shared:
“The first thing that came was Kamal Haasan, and then Thug Life came in. So, it started from there.”

Speaking about the scale of the production and assembling the film’s stellar team, Ratnam added: “I think the scale is designed by the story. Whatever that demands is what you go towards. And it is always a pleasure—and it always makes a director’s job easy—when you have the correct cast and crew. I’ve been lucky to have the best. So, it has been fantastic.”

Talking about how the music journey began for Thug Life, A.R. Rahman said: “Actually, we were experimenting on various palettes of melodies, and so the first dabble—which is there in the trailer—that came in. And there’s one really haunting voice that comes in—I don’t know what language it is—but that gave a very unique feel, and he really loved it.”

A rare confluence of legendary talent and fresh storytelling, Thug Life is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated releases in Indian cinema, uniting visionary filmmaking with an ensemble of powerhouse performers.

Produced by Kamal Haasan’s Raaj Kamal Films International, Mani Ratnam’s Madras Talkies, R. Mahendran, and Siva Ananth, Thug Life boasts an ensemble cast of stellar performers. Kamal Haasan leads the film as Rangaraaya Sakthivel Naicker, alongside Silambarasan TR, Trisha Krishnan, Ashok Selvan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Joju George, and Abhirami in pivotal roles. Adding to the star power, the film also features Nassar, Chetan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Tanikella Bharani, Bagavathi Perumal, Chinni Jayanth, and Vaiyapuri. Further enriching its grandeur, Thug Life includes Ali Fazal, Rohit Saraf, Baburaj, Arjun Chidambaram, Rajshri Deshpande, Sanya Malhotra, and Vadivukarasi, promising an ensemble of powerhouse performances. With Mani Ratnam at the helm and A.R. Rahman’s music, Thug Life is all set for a worldwide theatrical release on June 5, 2025.