Thug Life disaster: Flops across all languages in India

The much-hyped Tamil gangster drama “Thug Life”, directed by Mani Ratnam and starring Kamal Haasan, has emerged as a major box office disappointment across all Indian languages. Released on June 5, 2025, the film marked the reunion of Haasan and Ratnam after their iconic 1987 collaboration Nayakan — but failed to live up to expectations, receiving mixed reviews and experiencing a sharp drop in collections within days of release.

Steep Decline in Collections

The collections of “Thug Life” In India. Thug Life opened with a modest 15.5 crore net collection across India on Day 1. However, the film saw a drastic 54% drop on Day 2. The third day was in the same range. On Sunday, it will maintain similar trend.

The breakdown:

Day 1: Rs 15.5 crore
Day 2: Rs 7.15 crore
Day 3: Rs 7.05 crore

“Thug Life” is looking at Rs 40-50 crore weekend projected by trade experts. It will not collect much after that.

Poor reception beyond Tamil markets

The film’s performance was especially poor in non-Tamil regions: The Hindi version earned only Rs 1.30 Cr in three days. The Telugu version grossed Rs 2.01 Cr.

Adding to its woes, “Thug Life” was banned in Karnataka following Kamal Haasan’s controversial remarks on the Kannada language.

Both critics and audiences have been unforgiving. Many have labeled “Thug Life” as one of Mani Ratnam’s weakest films.

Common criticisms include:

• Slow-paced narrative
• Thin plot
• Lackluster execution

The film’s Non-theatrical deals

1. A Rs 149.7 crore Netflix streaming deal
2. Rs 60 crore Star Vijay TV satellite rights

However, its theatrical break-even point remains a challenge, especially in key markets like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it needs to collect Rs 21 crore — a tough ask given the current trends.