Mani Ratnam Supports The Romance In 'Thug Life' Between 70-Year-Old Kamal Haasan And Trisha Krishnan

Mani Ratnam’s Thug Life has been a topic of discussion for some time now. For the unversed, the film is all set to be released on June 5, 2025. As per multiple reports, this movie is the reunion of Mani and Kamal Haasan after 38 years. Back in 1987, the duo came together to make the cult classic, Nayakan. However, a particular scene in the trailer, where 70-year-old actor, Kamal Haasan is seen romancing 42-year-old actress, Trisha Krishnan, has faced extreme backlash. Now, in an interview, the captain of the ship, Mani Ratnam, has addressed the criticism and supported the on-screen age-gap romance.

Mani Ratnam draws parallels between the 28-year-age gap romance and real-life

Soon after the trailer launch of Thug Life, fans became very excited, but one particular scene faced huge criticism. The scene that fell prey to public outrage was a 28-year-age gap love-making scene between Kamal and Trisha. Now, the director of the film, Mani Ratnam finally broke his silence and addressed the criticism. In a recent interview with Mid-Day, Mani spoke about the much-talked romantic scene and drew parallels between the on-screen romance and real-life love stories. In his words:

“Let me put it this way, this way, in real life, there are people, slightly older, who have a relationship with a younger person, male or female. There are. It is a fact of life. It's been like that for a long time. It's not just now. When it's in cinema, we try to find fault with it or pass judgment on it, which means you are trying to cover or close your eyes to what is happening in your society and claim that it should be only this way."

Mani Ratnam says the romance is between the two characters of Thug Life

Further in the interview, Mani mentioned that the audience should focus on the two characters of the film rather than the actors, Trisha and Kamal, who are playing the characters. The ace director also said that, without knowing how the characters played by the actors have developed in the film, any judgment passed is totally invalid. Addressing the same, Mani said:

“It is about how these two people meet. It is not Trisha Krishnan and Kamal Haasan. It is about their respective characters. So that is what it should be. And if you see the film, the relationship, how it formed and whether it is real or not, then you can make a judgment, not based on Trisha Krishnan and Kamal Haasan."

Netizens’ reaction to the age-gap romance in Thug Life

For the uninitiated, in the trailer of Thug Life, Kamal, who is 70 years old, is seen kissing Abhirami, who is 41, and seen romancing with Trisha, who is 42. This on-screen age gap romance didn’t go well with the audience and the social media users started slamming the 70-year-old superstar. A user’s tweet can be read as:

“Doing such scenes for his age with heroines who were almost half his age is not at all normal and usual.”

What do you think of Mani Ratnam's reaction to the criticism faced due to the age gap romance in Thug Life?

Also Read: 'Thudarum' OTT Release: When And Where To Watch Mohanlal's Record-Breaking Blockbuster Film

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