Thug Life: Kamal Haasan all praises for Joju George; his words stand out at the audio launch

Kamal Haasan lauds Joju George

The audio launch of Thug Life in Chennai ended up being an eventful night – not just for having a galaxy of stars but also for the evocative moment that left both the audience and the Twitterverse tearful.

With the long-awaited Mani Ratnam directorial and Kamal Haasan written film marching towards its June 5 release, the event saw some great moments, reflecting the bonhomie the film’s cast shares.

The biggest moment of the evening turned out to be Kamal Haasan taking to the stage and singing praises of Malayalam actor, Joju George. In a surprise but sweet confession, Kamal said he wasn’t aware of Joju’s body of work until someone suggested he check out the Malayalam film Iratta. The veteran actor became so enthralled by the performance that he felt the need to express his praise to the public.

Kamal, himself an actor who has played double roles in more than 30 films, was all praise for Joju’s twin act in Iratta. You could very easily see the difference in the characters. It was not just smart editing — it was very good acting,” Kamal said, smiling, and jokingly added, “I felt guilty of jealousy when I saw him perform.”

The passionate acknowledgement, however, moved Joju George who was teary-eyed. Silent on stage, the tears welled in the eyes of the actor, who has a major supporting role in Thug Life, after the heartfelt words from a screen legend that he admired while growing up but never met. The crowd let out a round of applause, welcoming the brief moment of candour.

That authentic show of gratitude from Kamal quickly went viral, with clips from the event shared widely on social media. A fan showered penultimate fan love on the humility and artistic integrity present in the two actors as he described the camaraderie as an “amazing” example of respect in the community of films.

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Thug Life’s stellar star cast – Silambarasan TR, Trisha Krishnan, Abhirami, Ashok Selvan, Joju George, Sanya Malhotra continues to get cine-goers excited, this heartfelt scene between Kamal and Joju has now also made the film more emotionally driven.

The audio launch was more than an audio launch; it was a gathering of mutual admiration, talent and genuine appreciation — and just perhaps, a portent of a film that's already looking to be much more than a film.