'Thug Life' OTT verdict: Netizens slam Kamal Haasan’s gangster drama - ‘Complete disappointment’

After a lukewarm run in theatres, 'Thug Life' starring Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan TR, has finally dropped on OTT. While fans were curious to see if the Mani Ratnam-directed film might find redemption on OTT, social media reactions seem to echo the disappointment many felt during its theatrical release.


Netizens unimpressed by story and execution



As soon as the film began streaming on July 3, social media was flooded with reactions — and most of them weren’t kind. On X (formerly Twitter), a user shared bluntly, “Thug Life is such a disappointment. The script is so weak, and you can’t connect with any of the characters.”


Another comment, laced with sarcasm, read, “Thug Life Promo > Thug Life Movie… Promo ku pota effort ah padathulayum konjam potu irukalam.”


Meanwhile, one netizen, reacting to a post about wanting to watch great cinema, quipped, “That’s where Thug Life succeeded — no could-have-been-great talk. Straight to the point. Total dumbsh*t.”


One Twitter user criticized the dance choreography of 'Sugar Baby' song. The Tweet read, "How they controlled their laugh ???? worst choreography asusal worst performance too."



Meanwhile, one positive comment read, "Thug Life- an amazing movie. Mani Ratnam shows why he is such a great director. Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan at their best. A must-watch movie. "


What went wrong?



Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Mani Ratnam, Thug Life was supposed to be a return to gritty, emotionally layered storytelling. Instead, audiences have called out its weak script, sluggish pace, and underwhelming character development.


ETimes review


We gave the film a rating of only 2 stars out of 5, and our review read, "Thug Life becomes a slog. The latter half goes haywire with many of the sub-plots from the earlier portions either being diluted or largely getting shoved away for a long amount of time. Even Amaran goes missing for quite some time. Instead, what we get are preposterous scenes of Sakthivel's survival after being shot at or stabbed multiple times. The threat of Sadanand ceases to exist and Deepak feels like a weak antagonist who makes moves that are predictable. Even AR Rahman seems to lose interest and delivers a background score that feels random."