26 May,2025 09:49 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan's much-awaited action drama 'Thug Life' made a thunderous impact at its audio launch, held at Sri Sai Ram Engineering College in Chennai. The event turned into an unforgettable celebration as the cast and crew shared heartfelt moments, with musical maestros and euphoric fans in attendance. One of the most emotional highlights of the evening came when Kamal Haasan, who leads the multistarrer, showered praise on Malayalam actor Joju George - leaving the latter visibly moved.
While addressing the audience, Kamal Haasan admitted that he was initially unaware of Joju George's work. It was only after a recommendation to watch the Malayalam film Iratta that Haasan discovered Joju's talent. In the film, Joju played dual roles - a genre Haasan himself is famously adept in.
"You could clearly see the difference between the two characters. It wasn't just clever editing - it was powerful acting. I felt jealous watching him perform," Kamal said with a smile, winning thunderous applause from the audience.
Hearing these words, an emotional Joju teared up. The actor, who plays a supporting role in Mani Ratnam's directorial, stood up in the auditorium as the crowd cheered him on. Joju,who is also a good singer, later got on stage sang for the massive crowd that arrived for the event.
A.R. Rahman, the Oscar-winning "Mozart of Madras" and the film's music composer, kicked off the evening with a live performance of the soulful Anju Vanna Poove, leaving the audience mesmerized. He wasn't alone - every song from the explosive Thug Life soundtrack was performed live by its original singers.
Seated in the front row and soaking in the musical magic were stars like Kamal Haasan, Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan, Mani Ratnam, Ali Fazal, Joju George, Abhirami, Ashok Selvan, and Sanjana Krishnamoorthy. Kannada superstar Shivarajkumar also graced the event as a special guest.
Meanwhile, the film's two already-released tracks - Jinguchaa and Sugar Baby - are currently trending across social media platforms, with fans grooving to their addictive beats and hyping the anticipation for the full album release.
Thug Life directed by Mani Ratnam will be released in theatres on June 5.
