Kamal Haasan’s ‘Thug Life’ looks for redemption on Netflix

Despite the dream team coming together after nearly two decades, the film received largely negative reviews and failed to draw crowds to theatres.

Hyderabad: Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam’s much-talked-about film Thug Life has taken a new route after falling short of expectations at the box office. Despite the dream team coming together after nearly two decades, the film received largely negative reviews and failed to draw crowds to theatres.

Now, the makers are banking on streaming audiences to revive the film’s fortunes. Thug Life is now available on Netflix in multiple languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi. With this digital release, the team hopes viewers might give the movie a second chance from the comfort of their homes.

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However, the early OTT release came at a cost. Reports suggest that Netflix penalised the production house with a Rs. 25 lakh fine for breaking the standard eight-week theatrical window, bringing it down to just four weeks. The original digital rights deal, valued at Rs. 135 crore, was also significantly reduced by Rs. 110 crore because of the film’s underwhelming box-office run.

The action drama stars Kamal Haasan alongside Trisha, Simbu, Abhirami, Joju George, and Ashok Selvan. It is produced by Raaj Kamal Films International, Madras Talkies, and Red Giant Movies, with music by Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman.

With its OTT debut, the makers are hopeful that Thug Life will finally find the audience it missed out on in cinemas.