Kamal Haasan’s ‘Thug Life’: Brutal money lessons hidden in the blood and betrayal

Let’s face facts. Mani Ratnam’s vision on film is stunning. Sreekar Prasad’s editing is seamless and incomparable. And Kamal Haasan might be happy to incite controversy with the film, but he’s still got those acting chops. Alas, AR Rahman is the only one who does not seem to fit – the background music is so odd it is annoying at times, and the songs are forgettable (despite Sanya Malhotra’s pointless song appearance).

The film opens where Rangaraya Sakthivel is telling us how he has survived many encounters with death. The black and white telling of his backstory and a young Kamal Haasan is unmissable. Here is where betrayal begins. Here is also where Sakthivel saves a little kid, who in turn saves the gangster. The boy Amar grows up to be Sakthivel’s shadow and is given the responsibility of managing the business when Sakthivel goes to jail. This annoys his older brother Mannikkam (the brilliant Nasser) but not for long. Amar and Manikkam join hands with the Sakthivel’s rival Sadanand who wants to look like he’s cleaned up because he’s going into politics. Too convoluted? Stay with me!

Sakthivel comes out of jail and goes straight to Indrani (Trisha Krishnan, still gorgeous), his mistress. His wife Jeeva (Abhirami, wow!) is understandably upset but Sakthivel has a way with the ladies… Alas, when he tries to get to Kailas to fulfill a vow Jeeva has made, Amar and Manikkam take this opportunity to shoot him and push him off a cliff. Of course he is saved by Buddhist monks who teach him martial arts skills. But by the time Sakthivel comes back home, those who have betrayed him are thriving and those who loved him (Jeeva and Indrani) have lost the plot (don’t ask!). After Sakthivel takes his revenge on each of the five who betrayed him, plus a whole bunch of goons who are there only to lose limbs and die violently, we see him still alive…

What money lessons can this 165 minute long telling of a gangster’s never say die attitude teach you, intrepid investors?

Longevity of Sakthivel is like longevity in investments

Rival Sadanand (Mahesh Manjrekar who simply zombie-walks through this role) tries to kill Sakthivel, he fails. Sadanand’s nephew (Ali Fazal, totally wasted in this role) sends a couple of SUVs to kill Sakthivel, but they fail. Saktivel’s brother Manikkam, his son Amar, His associates (the one and only Joju George), shoot him and push him off a snowy cliff, he survives. You marvel at Ravi K. Chandran’s awesome cinematography, but begin to see Warren Buffett’s investment tips. Warren Buffett’s ability to survive in the market is legendary, as are the men who made this movie.

Buffet advises: Invest only in what you understand

Kamal Haasan’s soliloquy about he’s like the yakuza doesn’t wash with the audience, because we have watched international shows about gang wars, and nothing that comes before or after in the movie refer to anything Japanese…

Educate yourself about everything into which your hard earned money is going. Even if investing in a company that manufactures diamonds seems shiny, if you know nothing about how that business works, you should turn to what you understand.

Buffet says, ‘Our holding period is forever’

Through thick and thin, Sakthivel remembers the promise he made to his adopted son – that he will find his missing sister. But by the time we see this promise being fulfilled, and the lovely Aishwarya Lakshmi displays her acting chops, we have been exhausted by the interminable story.

But you must take inspiration from Warren Buffett whose investing philosophy of ‘long term view’ has increased his wealth from a hundred million dollars to over 166 billion!

Buffet bats for great managers

Sakthivel hands over the reins of his business to his adopted son instead of his older brother Manikkam. His reasoning is logical, ‘You’ve just lost a daughter and are mourning. Amar is capable of handling the day to day operations because I will still wield power even from jail.’

If your money manager knows what you want, is able to invest in stocks you understand thoroughly, then your chances at being successful are a given. Your goals should be your manager’s goals, and only then will you be happy and rich.

Buffet does not follow the crowd

Sakthivel knows this principle. Just because his rival Sadanand is getting into politics which promises lots of money, he tells Amar to stay away from it all. We should not join hands with Sadanand even if he promises you ‘his territories’ which will bring us more money, We need to expand business in ways we understand.

In your investment life too, don’t go chasing after stocks everyone is buying simply because they look like the current ‘in thing’ in which to invest. Hold on to your blue chip stocks that have been giving you credible returns. Nobody is saying shiny objects always turn out to be junk, but if you follow the crowd, your returns may not be as many as you might expect or perhaps not be what they promised in the shiny, expensive brochure…

This film could have been epic, but it seems like a long-winded tale told by grandpas who tend to lose the thread and veer off into ‘season two’ vibes. Although some elderly men can inspire us like Warren Buffett does, Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan who wrote this story think like old men who haven’t learned that a young girl who has become pregnant inadvertently does not have to kill herself because she has no options left in the world. Such a missed opportunity to have a vengeful woman included in this gangster saga!

Manisha Lakhe is a poet, film critic, traveller, founder of Caferati — an online writer’s forum, hosts Mumbai’s oldest open mic, and teaches advertising, films and communication. She can be reached on Twitter at @manishalakhe.