Actor Abhirami, a familiar face in Tamil cinema and a frequent collaborator with Kamal Haasan, is back on the big screen in Thug Life, directed by the legendary Mani Ratnam. The film has already created significant buzz — not just for uniting Kamal Haasan, Mani Ratnam, and AR Rahman after decades, but also for a brief on-screen kiss between Abhirami and Kamal Haasan that has triggered a wave of commentary online. In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, Abhirami speaks with clarity and candor about the so-called controversy, her creative evolution, and the unique experience of working alongside cinema’s biggest icons.
When asked about being part of Thug Life, especially given the reunion of Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam after 37 years, Abhirami expressed a deep sense of admiration and excitement.
"I think Kamal Haasan is somebody that I look up to, and the world knows what a big fan I am of him," she began. "I feel like there are few people with whom your sensibilities match. And when you work with people who have an open-door policy where they give you the liberty to voice your opinions and ideas, it’s amazing. They encourage you to think out of the box and be your own person. That’s a very conducive space for growth."
She elaborated on how much she has grown under Kamal Haasan’s guidance over the years."As an actor, I never formally learnt the craft. I’ve learnt on the job, so I’m very selfishly looking for teachers who are willing to teach, and I got the best of the teachers. I learn a lot from him, no matter what capacity I work with him, whether as a dubbing artist or co-actor."
On being cast by Mani Ratnam, Abhirami shared her gratitude for getting such a meaningful role in a landmark film.
"Apart from the fact that two giants were coming together after 37 years and AR Rahman was joining in for the first time, making it the holy trifecta, it’s a huge honour just to be part of that big canvas," she said. "The icing on the cake is the character that Mani sir offered me – it’s a very strong, confident, beautiful, sweet character he has given me. It was so easy for me to say yes."
However, not all the attention around Thug Life has been positive. A short kiss between Kamal Haasan and Abhirami in the trailer sparked outrage among some sections of the public, something Abhirami finds puzzling and unnecessary. "See, anything is going to become a controversy these days, I don’t think you can escape that at all," she said, addressing the noise around the scene. "I’m not in a position to judge Mani sir’s logic and about casting me in a certain role. Whatever his logic is, I’m agreeable with that."
She was quick to add context to the much-discussed moment. "And the kissing scene is a three-second kiss! The fact that only that was shown in the trailer is a little misleading. When you watch the movie and the scene and what leads up to the kiss, you won’t even flinch—it sticks so well to the scene."
Abhirami emphasized that the disproportionate focus on this one moment detracts from the film’s broader narrative and quality. "The fact that it’s being talked about this much, I feel, is a little unnecessary. The marketing people are going to do whatever is beneficial for the film. I understand that aspect as well. Any press is good press, as they say. But I would urge people to watch the film before jumping to conclusions."
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When asked why people might react strongly to Kamal Haasan kissing a younger woman, she offered a nuanced take. "I honestly don’t know," she admitted. "I think maybe because Kamal sir has had a track record of being bold enough to venture into those spaces before. Like in Hey Ram, how beautifully he shot the intimacy between both his partners, Rani Mukherjee and Vasundhara Das. He’s been a very bold storyteller, and whenever he ventures into that space, people always have something to say about it."
She also pointed out the hypocrisy in the public reaction.
"It’s not that no other actor or actress kisses on screen. When somebody at the top does it, people talk about it because it gives them mileage as well," she said. "As you rightly said, it’s so commonplace now; I think the audience will also mature in due time."
Having worked with Kamal Haasan for over a decade in various capacities, Abhirami reflected on how his approach to cinema has evolved.
"I think Kamal sir’s process has stayed the same but the tools that he arms himself with have changed," she observed. "When he approaches a scene or discusses it with Mani sir — those conversations have changed because now you can dream bigger, use a lot more technology and newer ways of storytelling. So, I think the storytelling aspect has changed, but his philosophy towards acting and how true he stays to the core emotion of it, has not changed."
On working with Mani Ratnam, a director known for his perfectionism and occasional outbursts on set, Abhirami recalled her experience with a laugh.
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