Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam’s second collaboration in thirty years is finally out! Early responses coming from different parts of the country are cautiously encouraging.
Although everyone I spoke to felt this was no patch on their previous collaboration.
Says Sukumaran Ramesh, a diehard fan of Kamala Haasan in Chennai, “I bunked office to see the first show of Thug Life. Not only me, before me my parents are devoted fans of Kamal Haasan. They are also here to watch what he has done this time.”
So what does Ramesh think of Thug Life. “Sir, it is midpoint and so far I will say it is not a disappointment. But it is no patch on Nayakan. In the last thirty years, many gangster dramas have come in many languages. Thug Life is brilliantly shot. And Kamal Haasan also Silambarasan are brilliant. But where is the soul, the novelty? The script feels….tired.”
Kumar Abhishek, cinema manager of Connplex Patna, spoke to me after the first show of Thug Life. “Sir, like all dubbed films this one too suffers in translation. Hindi mein jamta nahin hai. I believe it works much better in the original Tamil.”
Also Read: Kamal Haasan’s Thug Life Cleared For Special Shows In Tamil Nadu, Screenings From 9 AM To 2 AM!
However, a cinema manager from Delhi who wishes to remain anonymous is far less charitable. “Sir, Hindi mein bilkul nahin chalegi. The characters are very culturally specific. Kamal Haasan is a great actor. But his films don’t work in Hindi. Mani Ratnam’s Hindi Dil Se and Guru generated a lot of hype. Lekin chali nahin.”
Too early to pass a verdict on its box office performance Thug Life seems to be heading for success in Tamil. Tomorrow, Friday, when Housefull 5 releases, there will be a substantial fall in the Hindi collections of Thug Life, although Housefull 5 with its duel-ending brainwave seems to be heading nowhere.
