Readers Write In #815: From “Hug Life” to “Thug Life”: A Tale of Two Gangsters

By Caesium

Thug Life invariably made me think about other gangster movies, specifically those done by Kamal. And no, not Nayagan, but Vasool Raja MBBS. These are two distinctly different brands of thugs, and I’m in no doubt on which camp I preferred.

First, we have our eponymous Vasool Raja MBBS. This wasn’t your garden-variety goon. Oh no. This gentleman was practically a walking, talking, emotionally aware hug in gangster’s clothing. The inventor of “kattipudi vaithiyam” (which, for the uninitiated, sounds suspiciously like a therapeutic wrestling move), Vasool Raja oozed warmth. He was the underdog you desperately wanted to win, a chaotic good force wrapped in a slightly threatening exterior. The filmmakers clearly knew how to pull at our heartstrings. We had the Carrom Board Thatha, a living demo of mind-over-matter and probably some killer carrom moves. We had Wheelchair Ananth, whose coming-back-from-coma story brought a tear or two to even the most hardened cynic. And then, the pièce de résistance: the Raja’s father, whose dignity is shattered when Raja’s career is exposed to him, prompting an outpouring of audience sympathy for our lovable rogue. You couldn’t help but root for this guy, even if his methods involved a bit of forceful persuasion. It was “hug life” all the way, folks.

Now, the cinematic whiplash. Enter “Thug Life.” The character had no redeeming quality – cheating on Abhirami, suspecting Simbu. You’d think a movie with such a bold title would deliver a character you could at least begrudgingly respect, if not connect. Nope, too many holes and logic failures. Why wasn’t Nasser at the helm, despite being the elder one? Why did Simbu not confront Kamal with Nasser’s acquisitions? Small fillers (like a note about Delhi’s history) may be fine as ornamental subtexts, but core reasons needed to be strong (not flimsy or filmy).

On an unrelated note, was “Thug Life” a retelling of “Retro” from Joju George’s character? You know, the one who seemed to be strategically employing an adopted child as an armour or army? Regardless, neither worked for me.

So, what’s my takeaway from this odyssey? Perhaps that even in the realm of cinematic crime, relatability and a touch of heart can go a long way. While “Thug Life” left me feeling disconnected and wasted, “Vasool Raja MBBS”, two decades later, still elicits laughter and love.

PS: No accident that Tourist Family – a story about struggles of an immigrant family – was welcomed with both arms open, when presented with laughter and love!