POPCORN REVIEWSS

One of the underlying themes of Thug Life is that of the drama unfolding like a Shakespearean tragedy which essentially is a crossover between Julius Caesar and Hamlet. If you are familiar with both these plays, then you would know that there are two important ingredients which are prevalent in the drama. One is with respect to the character dynamics that unfold with each character vying the throne, and the other, a strong emotional core that conflicts the character and distorts his sole vision of a revenge. Unfortunately, Thug Life fails in both these aspects. In fact, one of the major drawbacks of the writing here is with regards to what it actually stands for – is this a father and son story against the backdrop of a gangster drama? Is this a drama about the power dynamics in a family? Is this a revenge drama that adds as a source of conflict for its principal characters? Or is this a commercial mass masala entertainer veiled as a gangster drama? The identity of the drama is the first roadblock that automatically classifies the writing as listless!

There is a considerable buildup in the first hour even as you are acquainted with the family of Sakthivel. This includes the dynamics that he shares with his wife Jeeva (Abhirami) who is often bickering but still equally loving despite being aware about her husband’s extra-marital affair with Indrani (Trisha Krishnan). Sakthivel also shares cordial relationships with his elder brother Manikkam (Nassar) and his two henchmen Pathros (Joju George) and Anburaj (Bagavathi Perumal). But the core focus is implied to be the warm bond that he shares with Amar (Silambarasan), particularly given the guilt that he carries around his father’s accidental death. And it is this dynamic which was supposed to be the core of the drama, even while the focus fleetingly shifts to the power dynamics in the family.

An additional layer of threat to Sakthivel lies in the form of a rival gang lead by Sadanand (Mahesh Manjrekar), who suffers a brief Shakespearean tragedy of his own, following the revengeful incident that occurs in his family. The dynamics again threatened to be interesting, but the characterization is just so flawed that it doesn’t seem like a bout of threat for the entire duration of the drama. Additionally, the shifting character dynamics is unlike you may have witnessed in a film like Malik (2021), something that actually felt absorbing without indulging in a bout of violence for most parts of the film. In dramas like these, the core needs to be well established along with all its characters, each of whom would bring its own strand of complexity and texture to the dynamics of the drama. Keeping that in mind, Thug Life suffers from a brainfade of sorts, even while handling the exposition. The ‘misunderstands’ are served on a platter as opposed to a character either stumbling on the mistaken truth or unraveling it by accident. As a result, the writing was flat at most places despite showing some promise in a couple of thrilling action set-pieces, relatively speaking!

I really wished that the drama was built around the emotional core of a father-son story. This is because when the writing chooses to address the emotional core in a few scenes, it actually manages to land with a trademark Mani Ratnam stamp on it! For instance in a scene wherein you witness Sakthivel finally coming to terms with his daughter wanting to marry a boy from a lower caste, the emotions land beautifully. In another scene, you witness Sakthivel trying his best to trigger ‘his’ memories while interacting with his wife Jeeva who seemingly has had a memory loss, you actually feel for the character. Even the climactic portion of a brother-sister bond accounts for an emotional moment in the narrative. But the major issue lies in how the writing doesn’t wish to pause and ponder in these moments. There is a mad-rush to go from point A to point B without prompting a moment of emotions lingering along the way!

There are a few set-pieces that hold your attention including the interval sequence that strongly reminded me of a scene from Julius Caesar. But inexplicably, the second hour goes for an absolute toss! I couldn’t help but think on how listless the drama actually is, almost reducing it to a one-note drama with the core emotion being that of revenge. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the writing inexplicably misplaced its core, while deviating into a territory that is not only old wine in a new bottle, but completely scattered from a storytelling point of view. The drama almost transitioned into a Shankar film after a point, going from one event to another without a connecting tissue between them. It remained flat as a pancake even as bodies started to pile up!

If you look closely, the writing of the drama is heavily inspired from Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam’s earlier film Nayakan (1987) that has similar beats in the narrative. In fact, the character arc of Amar is exactly the same, wherein one can immediately draw parallels between the two films. The difference is in the POV, with the drama here unfolding through the gaze of Sakthivel. The attempt here was to present a Shakespearean tragedy within a Shakespearean tragedy which itself was a tall task. And the result is for everyone to see – it remains a mishmashed version in many ways without an emotional core while soon transforming into a drama representing a headless chicken! The screenplay is an absolute swing and a miss here!