#AliFazal instantly said yes to #ThugLife !

 

Acclaimed actor Ali Fazal is all set to make his much-awaited South Indian cinema debut with legendary filmmaker Mani Ratnam’s upcoming pan-India film Thug Life. Headlined by superstar Kamal Haasan, the film features an ensemble cast of celebrated actors from across Hindi and South cinema. The multilingual film is slated for a grand theatrical release on June 5, in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada languages.

 

Marking a pivotal new chapter in his versatile career, Ali Fazal revealed that it didn’t take him more than a second to say yes to the project.

 

“There are some calls you get in your life that you know instantly are meant to change the course of your journey — this was one of them,” said Ali. “When you hear the name Mani Ratnam, you don’t just think of cinema — you think of legacy, you think of storytelling that’s transcendent, timeless, and deeply rooted in human emotion. I didn’t have to think for a moment before saying yes to Thug Life. A Mani Ratnam film isn’t something you get offered every day, and certainly not alongside someone as iconic as Kamal Haasan. The fact that this project brings together talent from across the Indian film industries in multiple languages makes it even more special. It’s the kind of ambitious, large-scale storytelling I’ve always wanted to be part of. I feel incredibly honored and excited to step into this universe.”

 

Thug Life is being mounted as a cinematic extravaganza that blends powerful performances with a gripping narrative and grand visuals, true to Mani Ratnam’s directorial legacy. As the anticipation builds, the makers have promised an epic film that will cater to audiences across geographies and languages.

 

Ali Fazal, known for his memorable performances in Mirzapur, Victoria & Abdul, Death on the Nile, Fukrey, is expected to bring his distinct presence to the film in a role that fans are already curious about. His entry into the South Indian film industry with Thug Life marks a significant crossover that strengthens the bridge between regional and national cinema.

TITLE REVEAL ANNOUNCEMENT #KAMALHAASAN232

November 7th 2020 marks the 66th birthday of Padmabhushan Shri. Kamalhaasan. Raajkamal Films International (RKFI) is proud to reveal the title of our much awaited project KH 232 on our Ulaganayagan’s birthday. Director LOKESH KANAKARAJ & his team have created a Teaser for the Title reveal. The “Title reveal teaser” will be an audio-visual treat and a celebration for all Ulaganayagan fans and film buffs the world over.

Team RKFI has followed all the requisite government norms to put this project together in the “new normal” during COVID times. The film’s crew have worked tirelessly along with our Universal Hero to bring this teaser to you on 7th November at 5pm.

More updates shall follow as work progresses diligently and in keeping up to the standards of filmmaking and the historic legacy of RKFI. We seek your best wishes for Ulaganayagan and invite you to celebrate #Kamalhaasan232 along with us.

About RKFI

Raaj Kamal Films International (“RKFI”), is one of the very few film production companies with a legacy spanning over 40 years in the business of consistently raising the bar in entertainment, craft & technology from the 1981 masterpiece “RAAJA PARVAI” to ABOORVA SAGOTHIRARGHAL” to “SATHYA”, “DEVAR MAGAN” & “KURUDHI PUNAL” to the critically acclaimed “HEY RAM”, “VIRUMANDI”& “VISWAROOPAM”, to the hilarious “SADHI LEELAVATI”; RKFI has explored it all. In addition, RKFI has been a harbinger in the use of value additive technology in Indian cinema, be it with the introduction of Dolby Stereo sound in Kuridhipunal, first ever use of script writing software in Maruthanayagam or Auro 3D in Viswaroopam.

Neha Kakkar’s fan moment with Kamal Haasan on Indian Idol 10

India’s biggest singing reality show Indian Idol 10 is creating waves amongst the audiences with spell binding performances from its top 14 contestants. The show is all set to entertain viewers with an amazing line up of songs over the weekend. Legendary actor Kamal Haasan will also grace the stage. He will wow the viewers in the special ‘Thank You’ episode which features the contestants and the superstar thanking the important people in their lives because of whom they have achieved success and reached such an important stage in their life. The star who is soon to release his mega movie – Vishwaroopam 2 was delighted to be on the show. The uber talented actor turned nostalgic as the singers belted out tunes from his yesteryear movies such as Ek Duje Ke liye, Saagar etc. 

The mere presence of a superstar like Kamal Haasan can make any contestant conscious before their performance. Interestingly, our very own judge Neha Kakkar had a fan moment on the sets and was in total awe of the “Hindustani” hero. When Neelanajana Ray stepped up and delivered a fantastic performance with her rendition of ‘Tere Mere Beech Mein’ from Kamal ji’s landmark movie – Ek Duje Ke Liye, Kamal Haasan was all praises for her. The ever smiling actor congratulated Neelanjana on singing such a difficult song with finesse, a song from an era when she wasn’t even born! He also added that he envies Neelanjana for the singing talent that she possesses and even joyfully joined in the performance with a short Tamil dialogue. Witnessing this, Neha Kakkar too expressed her wish to relive the same moment with Kamal ji. When the Southern Super-star repeated his dialogue, Neha Kakkar could only giggle like a nervous teenager before completing her bit of the dialogue! 

Neha Kakkar said, “It was such an amazing moment to have a living legend like Kamal Haasan ji on our show. His mere presence is so inspiring. I am blessed that I got the opportunity to share a stage with him and we also sang a duet together – Jitne Bhi Tu Kar Le Sitam’. Kamal ji is a powerhouse of talent! And the way he spoke to everyone was truly remarkable. He even boosted the confidence of all the contestants on stage. I have never till date learnt so many valuable lessons from an individual in a single day. It was an honor to have him on Indian Idol 10.”

KAMAL HASSAN’S MEETING WITH THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND

Actor Filmmaker Kamal Hassan was in Buckingham Palace recently to attend the Indo-UK Cultural Exchange celebration 2017. Mr. Hassan’s name was chosen by our Honorable Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi to be a part of this delegation that was organised by our Finance Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley, to celebrate Britain’s close ties with India.

Right outside the Buckingham Palace where a giant peacock, the national bird of India, was projected to mark the celebration. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge along-with The Duke of Edinburgh, The Earl of Wessex, Princess Eugenie of York, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Prince Michael of Kent were the other British Royal Family members who attended the event.

Mr Hassan says, “The Queen seemed in good health and remembered her visit to India fondly. The Duke of Edinburgh was in great shape and health as well. The exchange was brief as there were too many people. You might remember during Her Majesty’s visit to India, she visited my film set. Probably the only film shooting she had attended in her whole life”.

He further went on to say, “This is a great occasion to celebrate the shared history of India and the UK. The English language is the best example of that and I often refer to it as a great Indian language that unites us all".

He also shared a few pictures of this meeting with The Queen. Hassan also thanked the Prime Minister for nominating him for the culture event.

KAMAL HAASAN TO DIRECT HIS NEXT FILM, SHABASH KUNDU

The much talked-about trilingual featuring actor Kamal Haasan, ShabashKundu( Sabash Naidu in Tamil-Telugu) will now be directed by Haasan as well. Malayalam director TK Rajeev Kumar, who was assigned to direct the film earlier, has fallen seriously ill. Hence, Haasan has taken over the director’s chair to avoid any delay in the project. 

“My director, Rajeev has taken extremely ill. The unfortunate setback occurred when we were on the fourth day of our recce in Los Angeles. He has been diagnosed with a Lyme disease. It is a rare infection prevalent in Europe and North America. This is the reason I am now directing the film,”Haasan said in a statement. Rajeev is getting the best possible medical care in LA.“We have put him in one of the best hospitals with one of our executives keeping vigil 24/7.” 

Kamal Haasan is no stranger to direction. He has brilliantly helmed films as diverse in theme and epic in vision as Hey Ram, Chachi 420 and many more. In fact the character Haasan plays in Shabash Kundu is fromDashavtharam, the film that the actor-director directed in 2008.“This time I moved in as a standby director hoping my friend, Rajeev will recover soon. It seems he will,but not in time to finish this film, which is tightly scheduled to end principle shooting by July-end or the first week of August.”Right nowHaasan’s entire focus is on getting Rajeev Kumar back on his feet and making sure the film is directed well.

Haasan affectionately shared, “Rajeev started his career as a director with me in the lead nearly 25 years back. I am sure when he is up and about he will have many more films to direct. He has already done 25 films in his career. He’ll do 25 more and I’ll be in at least 10 of them.”

ShabashKundu is a trilingual film, now directed by Kamal Haasan. The film is being made in Tamil-Telugu as Sabash Naidu and in Hindi as ShabashKundu. It features Haasan and ShrutiHaasan in the lead. Haasan’s younger daughter AksharaHaasan is an assistant director in the film. This is the first time the three Haasans are working together in a film. The music of the film is being composed by Ilayaraja. The film went on floor in the first week of June in LA and will release by the end of this year.