Kamal Haasan and Trisha Krishnan's 30-year age gap and scenes in Thug Life: Mani Ratnam breaks silence

Thug Life is one of the most highly anticipated films of 2025. Recently, the makers released its trailer, which received mixed responses due to certain sequences. These included a kissing scene between Kamal Haasan and Abhirami, as well as an intimate conversation between him and Trisha. 

Some fans expressed disappointment, citing the significant 30-year age gap between Kamal Haasan and the actresses. However, in a recent interview with Mid-Day, director Mani Ratnam broke his silence on the matter.

How did Mani Ratnam address the backlash regarding Kamal Haasan’s age gap with his co-stars?

During the interview, Mani Ratnam addressed the criticism surrounding the age gap in Thug Life. He stated that, in real life, older individuals often have relationships with younger partners—both men and women. The filmmaker emphasized that this dynamic has always existed and is not something new.

In his words, "In real life, there are people, slightly older, who have a relationship with a younger person, male or female. There are. It is a fact of life. It's been like that for a long time. It's not just now. When it's in cinema, we try to find fault with it or pass judgment on it, which means you are trying to cover or close your eyes to what is happening in your society and claim that it should be only this way."

Here's what Trisha has to say about romancing Kamal Haasan

At a recent pre-release event in Mumbai, Trisha addressed the criticism surrounding her on-screen pairing with Kamal Haasan. She responded confidently to the chatter about their chemistry in Thug Life.

The actress shared that she had a strong instinct about the film even before officially coming on board. She revealed that when the movie was announced, she already sensed it would generate buzz—despite not having signed the project at the time.

Trisha said, "I think that’s something I knew when they announced the film and I had not even signed it. So that’s when I knew, wow, this is magic. And I was not even part of the film at that point in time."

For the unversed, two particular scenes from the movie have become the talk of the town. If you haven’t watched the Thug Life trailer yet, be sure to check it out below:

Meanwhile, the Kamal Haasan starrer is set to hit theaters on June 5. Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates!

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