Thug Life out on OTT: Netflix breaks 8-week deal; Stream Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam’s right now

Thug Life, the recently released Tamil film featuring Kamal Haasan in the lead role, is now available for streaming on Netflix. Directed by Mani Ratnam, it is worth noting that the film made its way to the streaming platform within a month of theatrical release, as opposed to the initial agreement of eight weeks gap. All thanks to the middling reception the film received.

Thug Life out on OTT:

When director Mani Ratnam and actor Kamal Haasan announced their reunion after 38 years, for Thug Life, the anticipations had increased. However, it was soon brought down upon the film’s release, leaving audience disappointed with Thug Life. The gangster action-drama film opened to negative reviews. After a month of theatrical run, the film is now available on Netflix to stream in multiple languages.

Also read: Thug Life movie review: Kamal Haasan and Simbu shine in this contrived and emotionally hollow gangster saga by Mani Ratnam

Initially, Kamal Haasan had said that Thug Life will have eight weeks gap between theatrical and OTT release. Additionally, the film had been banned in Karnataka after the actor’s comments on the native language and refusal to seek apology. Eventually, the Karnataka distributor refused to release the film after weeks. Now, this became a double whammy for Thug Life makers who not only suffered the losses without Karnataka release, but also faced a poor box office performance rest of India too. Naturally, Netflix slashed the gap and debuted the film within a month.

Thug Life plot, cast and crew

Thug Life also stars Simbu, Trisha, Ashok Selvan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Nasser, Joju George, and others. It revolves around an aged gangster whose adopted son turns against him after a personal vendetta. With score by AR Rahman, and Ravi K Chandran cranking the camera, Thug Life is produced by Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan jointly.

Despite high expectations on the film, audience felt dejected upon watching the film, which had lacked a clear screenplay and impactful characterisations. The stat-studded ensemble was also of no new, as some felt the characters that deserved more arc were cut short in screen time.