'Thug Life' Is A Gangster Drama That's Not So Tough

Movie name: Thug Life

Language: Tamil

Director: Mani Ratnam

Cast: Kamal Haasan, Silambarasan TR, Trisha Krishnan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Aishwarya Lekshmi

Rating: 2 out of 5

Nearly 38 years ago, Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan gave us Nayakan, the gangster drama made it to Time Magazine's all-time 100 best films and is often hailed as India's answer to Francis Coppola's The Godfather. As I stepped out of the theatre watching Thug Life, their latest collaboration, I just wished they had simply rehashed their cult classic and spared viewers disappointment.

Thug Life tries too hard to be a lot of things - and ends up being tedious and predictable. A gangster drama, the movie captures the succession battle in a crime syndicate headed by Rangaraya Sakthivel (Haasan), with old Delhi serving as the backdrop. Hat-tip to cinematographer Ravi K Chandran for capturing the historical city in its full glory on screen.

The movie starts with Sakthivel reflecting that death is his biggest enemy and that he has outwitted it on multiple occasions. In a beautiful twist of irony, we're immediately introduced to multiple characters who either want him dead or benefit from his passing.

Early on, Sakthivel escapes a police shootout, thanks to Amaran (Silambarasan TR). In gratitude, he anoints him as his successor, leaving many long-standing members miffed.

Eventually, Sakthivel becomes a victim of his success, often second-guessing and suspecting his aides, leading to friction. Watch out for the scene where Sakthivel, in a moment of contrition, apologises to Amaran, seated in a car backseat.“Do you expect me to fall at your feet?” he asks.

Ratnam reserves the best for Thug Life in its first half, for it runs out of steam in the latter. (For those unaware, Indian films are often divided into two halves sandwiched with an interval to boost sales at the theatre popcorn counter.) Generic, run-of-the-mill. Words you wouldn't normally reserve for his productions.

What we get is a boilerplate betrayal and revenge drama. A character develops into an Oedipus Rex with not much payoff. The characters come in and go (Joju George, Ali Fazal, Ashok Selvan, Mahesh Manjrekar), as do the immaculately choreographed fight sequences, but they don't register on your mind as they ought to.

However, where Thug Life falters the most is the portrayal of its women, bereft of any agency. Were there no women assistant directors to review the script and offer their inputs? Think Indrani (Trisha Krishnan), a woman who gets rescued from a place of abuse only to enter a gilded cage, or Jeeva (Abhirami), a woman who we're told had agency but gets a raw deal in life, and one can't miss that sentiment.

This feels shocking for someone who gave us some memorable women characters on-screen - be it in 1986's Mouna Raagam, Dil Se (1998), the 2002 war drama inspired by a Time Magazine article, Kannathil Muthamittal. Or even Alaipayuthey (Saathiya). Even worse, excise most such roles from Thug Life and they may not make a dent on the plot. The sequence where Sakthivel gets the pass for adultery from his wife (Abhirami) with a mere apology didn't pass muster with me.

The one female role that made a difference was that of Dr Anna (Aishwarya Lekshmi), but it deserved way more screen time.

Forget Nayakan, Ratnam's 2018 gangster drama Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, which explored succession within a gangster family with the sons as claimants, felt more compelling. Thug Life's writing feels underwhelming and takes the easy way out at crucial junctures.

Nevertheless, Kamal Haasan delivers a power-packed performance and is the fulcrum around which the movie revolves, but Silambarasan, Nasser and Joju George hold their own.

Oscar-winner AR Rahman's score and songs for the movie is one of its high points. The viral sensation Jinguchaa gets its pride of place in the movie, with the other, Muththa mazhai, edited out.

We're told that this is one of Delhi's biggest crime gangs, but what do they do apart from moving in large numbers in SUVs around? Whatever happened to“show, don't tell?”

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