Kamal Haasan reveals his new nickname for Mani Ratnam; Simbu shares why he's never late to Thug Life director's set: 'It's not because I am scared of him, but...'

Often criticised for allegedly arriving late to sets and having conflicts with the makers of his films, Simbu recently praised Mani Ratnam for his professionalism.Mani Ratnam's Thug Life marks Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan's first on-screen collaboration.

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Despite belonging to different generations, there is something interestingly similar about Tamil stars Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan TR (popularly known as Simbu); both of them pretty much grew up on movie sets after having made their film debuts as child artistes. While Kamal Haasan entered the world of cinema at the age of six, playing a key role in director A Bhimsingh's Gemini Ganesan and Savitri-starrer Kalathur Kannamma (1960) — which earned him the Rashtrapati Award — Simbu made his first screen appearance at the tender age of one in his father T Rajendar’s Uravai Kaatha Kili (1984). Since then, the two have come a long way.

Another factor that unites them is their shared admiration and deep respect for legendary filmmaker Mani Ratnam. While the two are gearing up for the release of Mani’s Thug Life, which also marks the two actors' first on-screen collaboration, Kamal and Simbu recently opened up about their experience working with the veteran director. Talking about Mani’s dedication to filmmaking, Kamal also revealed the new nickname he has given to the director because of his habit of arriving on set even before sunrise.