After a disastrous box office run, Kamal Haasan’s big-budget gangster drama Thug Life finds new life on Netflix — only to face another round of trolling.
Mani Ratnam’s much-hyped Thug Life, starring Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan TR, crashed and burned theatrically when it hit cinemas on June 5, 2025.
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Now, just a month later, the film has dropped on Netflix (July 3) — and viewers are making it clear: the promo announcing the film’s OTT debut was more engaging than the film itself.
Netflix released a funny and interesting promotional clip to mark the premiere, and ironically, it has become a bigger talking point than the movie.
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One user on social media bluntly said, “The promo was so much better than the whole movie.” Another added, “Watched the promo 10+ times, but I’m not sure I can watch the film even once.”
Some even joked that Kamal’s character had more life in the trailer than in the film.
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While early OTT reactions have spared Thug Life from being completely written off, the consensus is still far from positive. Many describe it as “average to bad,” rather than outright terrible like Indian 2.
A netizen remarked, “The movie isn’t as bad as Indian 2, but it’s nowhere near what it should have been.”
The disappointment seems to stem from a weak script, lackluster characters, and underwhelming execution. One scathing review read: “No emotional connect. Flat storytelling. Feels like a misfire from every angle.”
Trisha’s role and her track in the film is also being scrutinized and trolled a lot though many are finding her hot and sexy after a long time.
However, some believe that the lowered expectations may help it find a second wind online. “People will watch thinking it’s a disaster and may end up finding it just bad. That could work in its favor,” one post suggested.
There might be some initial curiosity to watch the film just to see how bad it actually is, so there may be decent viewership numbers for the first few days.
But after the initial rush, it is sure to lie in Netflix’s library as another disaster — a film that could have been so much more.
