Thug Life, directed by the legendary Mani Ratnam and starring Kamal Haasan, was expected to be a major event at the box office. With a powerful team behind it and Kamal Hassan himself co-writing the script, the film created early excitement. It also grabbed attention for deciding to wait eight weeks before arriving on OTT, a bold move in today’s fast-paced world of instant streaming. But sadly, things haven’t gone as planned.
The film was released today, and the response has been far from good. Despite the big names and all the hype, the overall feel of the film has left viewers unimpressed, with critics similarly panning the movie. This is a major blow for a film that needed strong word-of-mouth to survive in theatres.
Now, Thug Life is stuck in a difficult situation. Since the reviews are poor, the chances of the film doing well in cinemas are low. At the same time, the long wait before it comes to OTT means it might lose out on the attention it needs from the online audience. In today’s time, when people move on quickly, waiting for two months might hurt more than help. What was announced as an enthusiastic, promising move has turned out to be an embarrassment.
It’s unfortunate to see such a big film struggle like this. With so much talent involved, expectations were naturally high. But sometimes, even the best teams miss the mark. Let’s hope the film finds some love later on OTT, though the road ahead looks tough.