May 18, 2025: Kamal Haasan, one of Indian cinema’s most iconic figures, recently took a walk down memory lane while speaking at the trailer launch of his much-anticipated film Thug Life. Among his celebrated works, Virumaandi (2004) remains a fan-favourite, primarily for its gripping Rashomon-style narrative and Kamal’s masterful direction.
The film, which starred Kamal alongside Pasupathy, Abhirami, and Napoleon, was his third directorial outing following Chachi 420 (1997) and Hey Ram (2000). During the event, Kamal shared an interesting anecdote about how fan theories and plot speculations were already circulating back when Virumaandi was in production.
“I came across six different story theories during the shoot,” Kamal recalled. “One of them—the fifth—was actually very good. I even told the person I’d consider their idea for a future film, though I had already locked in my own story.”
The trailer launch of Thug Life also marked Kamal’s reunion with filmmaker Mani Ratnam, nearly four decades after their legendary collaboration in Nayakan (1987). When asked about fan theories around Thug Life, Kamal joked that reading them might tempt them to change the story altogether, adding, “Some of the stories are genuinely good.”
The event turned emotional when actor Abhirami, who played the female lead in Virumaandi and has a significant role in Thug Life, became visibly overwhelmed. Fighting back tears, she said, “Love you, sir; love you both. I still can’t believe that such a thing happened in my life.”
The anchor revealed that Abhirami’s stage name was inspired by Kamal’s film Gunaa (1991), in which the lead character affectionately calls his love interest “Abhirami.” In a heartfelt moment, Kamal recreated the iconic call from the film, leaving Abhirami visibly moved as she hugged him on stage.