A R Rahman records song with Sneha Shankar for Mani Ratnam’s ‘Thug Life’

Sneha is making her official playback debut under the baton of Rahman musical in the magnum opus Thug Life.

Mumbai: Oscar-winning musician A R Rahman has recorded a track with Sneha Shankar, who mesmerised the audiences on reality shows such as “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs”, “Superstar Singer” and “Indian Idol Season 15”, for the upcoming film “Thug Life” by Mani Ratnam.

Sneha is making her official playback debut under the baton of Rahman musical in the magnum opus Thug Life.

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”It feels like a dream to be singing for A R Rahman sir in his musical ,a name I’ve looked up to since I first understood music,” said Sneha.

At just 19, Sneha is the daughter of renowned music director Ram Shankar and granddaughter of the legendary Shree Shankarji (of the iconic Shankar-Shambhu duo).

She added: “To lend my voice to a Mani Ratnam film is beyond anything I ever imagined. I am overwhelmed, grateful, and deeply humbled. This is a blessing.”

It was on May 17, when Mani Ratnam unveiled the trailer of his much-awaited action extravaganza ‘Thug Life’, featuring Kamal Haasan in the lead. The trailer gives one the impression that this will be a film that will revolve around the struggle for power.

Thug Life, directed by Mani Ratnam, features Kamal Haasan in the lead. The film will also feature actors Silambarasan, Trisha, Joju George, Ashok Selvan and Abhirami in pivotal roles.

Kamal Haasan plays a character called Rangaraya Sakthivel Naickan in this film, which director Mani Ratnam’s production house Madras Talkies had described as “an epic tale of power, rebellion, and triumph.”

The film has music by A R Rahman and cinematography by Ravi K Chandran. It has editing by Mani Ratnam’s trusted editor Sreekar Prasad and stunts by the stuntmasters, Anbariv.

Ratnam’s previous project was the magnum opus “Ponniyin Selvan 2”, which released in 2023, The second of two cinematic parts based on the 1954 novel Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki Krishnamurthy.

The film stars an ensemble cast including Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ravi Mohan, Karthi, Trisha Krishnan, Jayaram, Prabhu, R Sarathkumar, Sobhita Dhulipala, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Vikram Prabhu, Prakash Raj, Rahman, R Parthiban and others.

It continues to follow the prince Arulmozhi Varman (who would become the emperor Rajaraja I) and his family as they deal with threats to the Chola Empire.