Ravi K Chandran’s Defends Thug Life: Illogical and Delusional

Filmmaker Mani Ratnam and legendary actor Kamal Haasan reunited after 38 years for Thug Life—a collaboration that raised expectations to the skies.

Unfortunately, the film turned out to be a commercial and critical disaster across all languages, leaving fans heartbroken. What was expected to be a cinematic milestone instead became an unbearable torture. The film is a washout at the box office.

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Yet, amid the heartbreak, one element stood out and earned praise: the film’s stunning cinematography by veteran lensman Ravi K Chandran.

In a recent interview, Ravi Chandran opened up about his experience working on Thug Life and its box office performance. He shared that Mani Ratnam envisioned the visuals to be timeless and cinematic — marked by deep shadows, rich contrast, and vivid natural light.

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The film was designed to evolve visually, starting with warmer tones in the first half and gradually transitioning to cooler, muted hues in the second.

For Chandran, the project felt like a full-circle moment. His association with Mani Ratnam dates back 40 years when he worked as an assistant.

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Addressing the film’s disastrous reception, Ravi Chandran reflected on the mismatch between audience expectations and the film’s actual genre.

Viewers may have been hoping for a Nayakan-style emotional epic, not a stylized action saga. “Every film has its own destiny,” he said, suggesting that Thug Life might simply have arrived at the wrong time or in the wrong shape for its audience.

But speaking frankly from an audience perspective, no one was expecting a Nayakan-level classic this time from them at this age. Viewers simply wanted a solid, entertaining film — a celebration of Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam’s legacy.

Even a decently engaging movie would have been accepted wholeheartedly and would have become a success. Instead, what the audience got was — arguably — one of the worst and most painful films of both their careers.

So, Ravi Chandran sir’s defense sounds illogical, delusional, and out of touch.