‘Nothing Has Changed All These Years Between Mani Sir and Me’
Kamal Haasan shares insights into the making of Thug Life and 38-year-gap in collaborating with the director
By : Anupama Subramanian
Update: 2025-04-18 15:10 GMT
At the press meet of Thug Life in Chennai, reflecting on the 38 year-gap in collaborating with director Mani Ratnam after Nayagan, Kamal Haasan said, “Nothing has changed all these years between Mani Sir and me. Whatever we spoke of, sitting on parked motorcycles on Eldams Road, we have done about 25%. One was Nayagan, another is this — Thug Life. We have a long way to go.”
However, he admitted, “We didn’t get together all this time…the mistake is ours. The reason why we are together now is because of you! (Applause) Because in our business world, they wonder if putting these names together will work well; they immediately take out a notebook and do the calculations. Sometimes the calculation will be correct, sometimes it won’t be.” Discussing Mani’s working style, Kamal shared an anecdote. “Usually, people give me titles. From this film onwards, I have given Mani Ratnam a name. He’s not just Mani Ratnam; he’s ‘Anjarai Mani Ratnam’ (Five-thirty Mani Ratnam)! He’ll arrive and be seated at 5:30 AM sharp! They call it the Brahma Muhurtham. For him, every day of shooting happens during the Brahma Muhurtham! Truly, this has been his habit since the Nayagan days.”