Actor-politico Kamal Haasan in the eye of Tamil-Kannada “Thug Life” storm

LEADING Tamil film actor Kamal Haasan - who is no stranger to Sri Lankan film fans is very much in the news lately, for three reasons.

- By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Firstly the actor-politico will be elected in July to the Indian “Rajya Sabha” or upper house from Tamil Nadu state. Secondly the eagerly awaited film “Thug Life” directed by ace film maker Mani Ratnam has been released worldwide. Kamal is the lead actor and co-producer and co-script writer for the film. Thirdly the film “Thug Life” is caught up in a controversy due to views expressed publicly by Kamal Haasan. A battle between the Tamil and Kannada languages has been ignited and the film has not been screened in India’s Karnataka state. In short Kamal Haasan is in the eye of a politico-cinematic storm!

It is against this backdrop therefore that this column focuses on the actor turned politician this week. Kamal Haasan known popularly as Kamal, is arguably the finest actor in Tamil cinema today. He is also acknowledged as one of India’s foremost thespians. The multi-faceted artiste is a film director, producer, screenwriter, film lyricist, poet, dancer, choreographer and playback singer. The 70-year old actor whose screen debut was in 1960 as a child artiste has acted in 235 films and won many awards and laurels. His adulatory fans hail their idol as “Ulaga Naayagan” or global hero.

The actor-politico’s latest film “Thug Life” was released on Thursday 5 June 2025. The film is directed by renowned film director Mani Ratnam who is married to Kamal’s niece, Suhaasini Haasan. She is an award-winning actress herself. In 1987, Kamal Haasan had acted in the lead role of Mani Ratnam’s milestone movie “Naayakan”. The artistically acclaimed epic film was a commercial success earning laurels for the actor and director. The film was adjudged by the prestigious “TIME” magazine as one of the 100 best films ever made.

"Thug Life"

After a lengthy gap of 38 years, Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam were associated in a film together with the making of Thug Life. The film was expected to create new box-office records. This however did not happen.