- Mani Ratnam will release Thug Life, starring Kamal Haasan.
- This marks Ratnam's reunion with Haasan after 38 years since Nayakan.
- Rumors suggest a possible collaboration between Ratnam and Rajnikanth.
Mani Ratnam is gearing up for the release of Thug Life led by Kamal Haasan. The ace director will be reuniting with Kamal Haasan after 38 years, after their 1987 film Nayakan.
There has been some buzz around about Mani Ratnam reuniting with Rajinikanth too. The two had worked together in the 1991 film Thalapathi. Two years ago, when Rajinikanth graced the audio launch event of Ponniyin Selvan, the rumours got stronger that a collaboration between the South superstar and Mani Ratnam might be possible.
Reacting to the same, Mani Ratnam told The Hollywood Reporter, "I have no idea if it will happen. I should have a script for him, and I don't know if I have it in me to write something for him given the scale of his market. He's become bigger and bigger over the years..."
Furthermore, commenting on whether it is becoming too much of a hassle to contain narratives in film, considering how stardom is taking over, the director said, "It really depends on the star, and if he is interested in acting and making films that don't just cater to the fan following. Of course, you can't deny the fandom, but whether that alone should dictate what they do... that's a call that the filmmaker and actor have to take. If the stars can look at making something that acknowledges what the fans want, but also move slightly away in a different direction (from the template), then it's possible to work with them."
There have also been talks about Mani Ratnam planning on doing a Telugu romance-drama with Naveen Polishetty.
The director reacted, "That was news to me! I did read a couple of such reports; I have no idea what they are talking about. My next film, being a light and breezy romance, is not true for sure. There are a few scripts I'm working on at the moment, but I don't know what will fall in place. What looks promising for me today will disappear the next morning! So I haven't locked in anything yet."
