When the first announcement of Thug Life came, it was unexpected, nevertheless, a sweet surprise. It was after 38 long years did Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam, two legends in their own ways and who stood the test of time, came together after their iconic gangster drama Nayakan. As we are only a few weeks away from the release of Thug Life, another gangster actioner from Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan, what has changed in these 38 years? “I think I am slightly an experienced actor now,” Kamal Haasan says.

An inevitable question that arises about Thug Life is what has really changed in Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan as they reunite after the iconic Nayakan. “Both of us have evolved. It is not the same Mani Ratnam, nor the same Kamal Haasan who acted in that film. AR Rahman is also not the same music director who scored for Roja. If it is not like that, then it is wrong. We are proud that we have evolved over time and have not remained in the same place,” Kamal Haasan says, as he continues to speak about Mani Ratnam as a filmmaker who is now threading on the direction he had always wanted to.

Right from the teaser to the trailer, the audience has been connecting the dots between the 1987 film and the upcoming one. The connecting line is not only Kamal Haasan’s Sakthivel Velu Naicker (in Nayakan) and Rangaraaya Sakthivel Naicker (in Thug Life) in the gangster dramas, but a plenty of easter eggs and undertones that suggest parallels between the two films. “Our motive was to make a film which will not remind you of Nayakan, and that is what we have strived for.”

Kamal Haasan had once written a script titled Thalaivan Irukindran/ Amar Hai, which was shared with Mani Ratnam, who willingly took it up to make it into a film. But Kamal Haasan mentions that Mani Ratnam did not end up making it as the same. “One can never identify that Thug Life and that story were the same. A lot has changed and it will look like a crossword puzzle for the audience. That will make me happy and that is true collaboration,” the Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu actor adds.

While there has been a lot of genre dilution in the recent times, with the essence of comedy and commerciality infiltering into serious genres like crime and action, when asked if Thug Life will also sport such sequences, Kamal Haasan is quick to answer, “It is not that Mani sir does not get humour, but he is not into it. There is a particular tonality he is interested in.”

As someone who has been constantly learning, and in his 60+ years of screen experience, Kamal Haasan’s latest was to learn AI by taking up a course abroad. “I went to learn AI, but I realised it is bigger than all of us here. We need to first understand it before taking it up. I am still in the nascent stage, and I have to study. One has to first know what they want to study within AI. AI is there in everyone’s lives and will be there. But we should not be afraid if it will take over us.”

Known for his absolutely laughter riot films like Panchathanthiram, Thenali, Vasool Raja MBBS and more, when asked about when he will re-enter into that zone given his films recently like Thug Life, and Vikram are more action oriented, Kamal Haasan says, “I do want to want to stay in the same zone. But since there is a gap between my films, I am unable to try varieties. Only when I make 15 films a year, can I show the variety.”