Kamal Haasan’s 15-year dream turned into a Rs 300 cr disaster despite a GOAT at the helm

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The evolution of Thalaivan Irukkiran and missed collaborations

Initial reports about a project titled Thalaivan Irukkiran surfaced in the late 2000s, with some even claiming it would be an action-adventure film featuring heavyweights like Rishi Kapoor, Venkatesh, and Mohanlal. However, the project never truly took off, and Kamal subsequently used the dates offered by Mohanlal and Venkatesh to create Unnaipol Oruvan (2009), helmed by Chakri Toleti.

However, he didn’t shelve the project altogether, and reports regarding it kept cropping up from time to time. In 2012, The Indian Express reported that Kamal was set to revive the movie with Aascar Ravichandran as the producer and Katrina Kaif as the female lead. But that plan also fell through. Meanwhile, there were also reports speculating that Kamal himself was directing the movie.

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Moving to Bollywood: How Amar Hai almost starred Saif Ali Khan

The title Thalaivan Irukkiran once again made headlines in 2015, but this time alongside another title, as Kamal himself revealed that he was planning it as a Hindi-Tamil bilingual project. Although it’s unclear whether Kamal simply took the title and created a new story altogether or whether this was a refurbished version of the original Thalaivan Irukkiran, the actor-filmmaker himself revealed that the project was finally in motion, with Saif Ali Khan playing a central character alongside Kamal.

Titled Amar Hai in Hindi, the project was reported to touch on modern-day politics, finance, and the underworld. A statement issued by the movie’s team noted that Kamal had been developing its script since 2009 and that he always had Saif in mind for the proposed role. It was also reported that Virendra K Arora and Arjun N Kapoor would produce the film.

Kamal Haasan’s artistic biography lists several projects he mulled over or even announced but couldn’t complete or set in motion. (Credit: Facebook/@RKFIOffl)

“It is a Mumbai-centric story. It is planned as a double version in Hindi and Tamil. The Tamil title is also well known among those glued to film industry news. It is ‘Thalaivan Irukkindraan’ in Tamil. My story will have only as much politics as The Godfather, Untouchables, or Traffic has. I will be directing the film,” Kamal told Bollywood Hungama during a 2015 interview.

“It’s the might of many actors that makes a film work. Saif has an important and equal role. His character is a good man, so he is the hero of the film. I won’t be singing duets in the film, but there is love and hate. You can’t call him (Kamal’s character) an antagonist because he simply expresses another point of view,” he told Mumbai Mirror.

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While some media outlets reported that the Tamil version’s title would be Thalaivan Irukkindraan, others stated that it would be Thalaivan Irukkiran. However, Kamal couldn’t launch it then either. In 2017, he told Ananda Vikatan that he would revive the project after Vishwaroopam 2 (2018). But by then, there were doubts if Saif was still part of the project, despite initially expressing interest in Amar Hai.

Handing the reins to Mani Ratnam for Thug Life

In 2019, Kamal and Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman officially announced that they were joining forces for Thalaivan Irukkindraan, with Lyca Productions and Raaj Kamal Films International collaborating on the production. However, no further updates arrived about it afterwards.

After a few years away from cinema to focus on his political party, Makkal Needhi Maiam, Kamal eventually returned with Vikram (2022). Subsequently, he announced that he was set to collaborate with legendary filmmaker Mani Ratnam once again, over three decades after their widely popular Nayakan (1987). The movie was eventually titled Thug Life, with Kamal and Mani credited as writers.

During Thug Life’s promotion, Kamal Haasan revealed that Thug Life was developed from his script Amar Hai.

During the movie’s promotion, Kamal revealed that Thug Life was developed from his script Amar Hai. “I finished a script which was called Amar Hai. It is a pun; a man who is believed to be dead but not, his name is Amar,” he told The Hollywood Reporter India. He then drew parallels to the way the trailer for Alfred Hitchcock’s The Trouble with Harry (1955) began.

“So, I wrote Amar Hain’s script. It had characters. He (Mani) then took it and embellished it. It’s like a joke. The punchlines were changed to work better. It is the same thing, but he tweaked it. It is nicer to collaborate than to combat with somebody.”

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Thug Life budget and box office collection

Despite the massive hype and a grand release, Thug Life bombed big time, drowning Kamal’s decade-long dream along with it. Mounted on an estimated budget of about Rs 250-300 crore, the gangster drama grossed just Rs 97.44 crore worldwide, according to industry tracker Sacnilk, thus becoming one of the biggest flops in the careers of both Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam.

The movie also featured Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Ashok Selvan, Abhirami, Joju George, and Nassar in key roles.