Thug Life is an upcoming Indian Tamil-language gangster action drama film directed by Mani Ratnam, who co-wrote the script with Kamal Haasan. It is jointly produced by Raaj Kamal Films International, Madras Talkies, and Red Giant Movies. The film stars Haasan, alongside Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan, Ashok Selvan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Joju George, Abhirami, Nassar, Ali Fazal, Pankaj Tripathi, Sanya Malhotra, Rohit Saraf, and Vaiyapuri. It signifies the reunion of Haasan and Ratnam after their previous film Nayakan.

Thug Life Ibomma Tamil Movie

The film was officially announced in November 2022 under the tentative title Kamal Haasan 234, as it is Haasan’s 234th film as a lead actor, and the official title was revealed a year later. Principal photography commenced in January 2024, with filming across Chennai, Kanchipuram, Pondicherry, New Delhi, and parts of North India. The film’s music is composed by A. R. Rahman, cinematography is handled by Ravi K. Chandran, and editing is by A. Sreekar Prasad.

Thug Life is scheduled to be released worldwide on 5 June 2025 in theatres.

Casting

Haasan would sport several looks, one of which resembles his short hairstyle from Sathyaa. The name of his character, Rangaraya Sakthivel Naicker, is a reference to his role as Sakthivel Naicker from Nayakan. Silambarasan was cast in an important role, marking his second collaboration with Haasan and Ratnam after Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. Trisha Krishnan was also cast in an important role, in her third collaboration with both Haasan and Ratnam after Manmadan Ambu, Thoongaa Vanam, Aayutha Ezhuthu, and the Ponniyin Selvan series. Abhirami and Nassar were also cast in prominent roles, with Abhirami paired opposite Haasan, reuniting with him after Virumaandi.

Ravi Mohan, Dulquer Salmaan, Gautham Karthik, Joju George, and Aishwarya Lekshmi were initially cast to play prominent roles. Dulquer and Ravi were announced in November 2023, while Gautham, Joju, and Lekshmi were added in January 2024. Sanya Malhotra makes her Tamil debut with the film. Dulquer reportedly opted out in March due to scheduling conflicts, followed by reports of Ravi doing the same. Silambarasan replaced Dulquer, and Ashok Selvan replaced Ravi. Ali Fazal, Pankaj Tripathi, and Vaiyapuri were present at the film’s preliminary shooting. In June 2024, Rohit Saraf was announced as part of the cast.

Filming

A part of Thug Life was filmed in Old Delhi. Principal photography began on 24 January 2024 at a college in Shenoy Nagar. On 30 January, directors Sudha Kongara and Bejoy Nambiar visited the sets and shared stills. Haasan filmed a portion with Abhirami and Joju before leaving for the United States to participate in post-production for Indian 2. Filming for the first schedule ended on 31 January. Ratnam began location scouting for the second schedule in early February in European countries, including Serbia. Trisha revealed on her Instagram account on 21 February that she had joined the sets. Plans to shoot in Siberia for the third schedule were postponed due to Haasan’s political commitments.

In late April, Silambarasan and the team traveled to Jaisalmer to film a promotional teaser, which was released on 8 May. The second schedule commenced on 21 April in New Delhi. A sequence featuring Haasan, Silambarasan, and around 200 background artists was shot behind the Red Fort. Another sequence involving multiple actors was filmed at the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple early in the morning to avoid the summer heat. Filming moved to Old Delhi for indoor sequences. A leaked picture from the set forced the team to confirm Silambarasan’s casting officially. The schedule wrapped on 12 May.

The third schedule began on 21 May in Chennai. During this schedule, a love sequence featuring Silambarasan and Trisha was filmed. Two song sequences were choreographed, including one featuring Haasan and Silambarasan and another featuring Trisha. Production moved to Pondicherry Airport for an action sequence in early June. Haasan resumed filming after a short break, joining Silambarasan and Ashok Selvan for the action scene. Joju injured his foot during a stunt involving a helicopter. The schedule ended on 13 June.

Filming resumed on 5 August in Chennai. On 12 August, coinciding with Haasan’s 65th year in the industry, a behind-the-scenes still featuring Haasan and Ratnam was released. An action sequence was filmed at the outskirts of Kanchipuram, while Silambarasan’s portions were filmed at Pondy Bazaar. An additional action sequence was shot on a set in Kovalam. Haasan completed filming his portions on 20 September. Although principal photography was announced as complete on 24 September, Ratnam planned a romantic song featuring Silambarasan and Trisha, which began filming on 4 November.