Nasser reacts to failure of Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam’s Thug Life; blames social media: ‘After the movie released on OTT…’

Now, veteran actor-filmmaker Nasser, who played a key role in the gangster drama, has reacted to Thug Life’s underperformance. Expressing that he “felt very bad” seeing the movie’s fate, the thespian blamed ‘self-proclaimed’ film critics on social media for the result. Nasser also mentioned that many viewers contacted him after the movie’s OTT premiere, commending Thug Life and expressing sadness over not having caught the film in theatres, a decision they apparently made based on reading online reviews.

“In my 40-year career, during which I have done about 700 movies, I have always tried to remain detached from my films (and their outcomes). Many films in which I performed well didn’t reach audiences, and such things happen. So, I maintain my detachment. However, Thug Life was something personal. Here, I was working with the team that made me popular and successful and provided a turning point in my career. On the first day on set, I was blushing. It felt like I had gone back 40 years,” he shared in an exclusive conversation with SCREEN.

Watch SCREEN’s exclusive interview with Nasser here:

Although Nasser made his acting debut in legendary director K Balachander’s Kalyana Agathigal (1985) and appeared in a handful of movies after that, it was Mani and Kamal’s epic crime drama Nayakan that put the actor on the map and propelled his career to new heights. Some of his most acclaimed characters were also in films headlined by Mani or Kamal, such as Thevar Magan, Bombay, Roja, Iruvar, Anbe Sivam, Ponniyin Selvan, and Magalir Mattum.

Mentioning that everyone who worked on the movie put their heart and soul into it, he added, “I saw Kamal sir, a professional actor, handled by another professional (Mani). It was not about friendship. Kamal sir was open to taking any decision made by Mani Ratnam.” He further stated that this was the first time in a long while that he had worked on a movie with rehearsals beforehand. “After the arrival of digital cinema, there are almost no rehearsals. But Kamal sir was rehearsing. He wanted to go further and further. So, the process of making the film was very warm and special. Hence, when it was not received well, I felt very bad.”

Offering his thoughts on why the movie underperformed, the actor-filmmaker reflected, “I think social media played a significant role in this. We don’t have proper critics on social media, where anyone can become one. After the movie was released on OTT, many people called me and said, ‘Hey macha, it’s a very good film. I don’t know why it bombed.’ So, social media contributed to why it wasn’t received well at first.”

He added, “Also, I guess, people expected too much since it marked the reunion of Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan. But while working, we did so with all our heart and soul. We completely enjoyed making the film. Of course, when it comes to movies, you cannot determine the results. But I felt very… not sad, but uncomfortable when I heard that the film was not doing well. However, now it’s getting more credit after people started watching it on OTT.”