MUMBAI: As she teams up once again with legendary filmmaker Mani Ratnam for the upcoming film Thug Life, Trisha Krishnan opens up about the uniquely immersive process of shooting under his direction. Known for his precision and storytelling depth, Mani Ratnam’s sets may be intense in preparation, but for Trisha Krishnan, they’re a space of clarity, confidence, and quiet joy.
“It’s hard work, right? How do you unwind, or can you unwind at all in a Mani Ratnam film?” Trisha was asked in a recent interview with Gallata. Her response paints a picture of a well-oiled creative process: “Yeah, you can. The shooting time is very jolly because he rehearses a lot. He gets you through the whole process, where when you come on set, it’s actually a breeze.”
Reflecting on her earlier collaboration with Mani Ratnam, Trisha recalled the extensive prep work that made execution feel effortless. “For me, the shooting days I’m talking about was just playing dress up. When I went on set… robot is a wrong word—it sounds very mechanical. But I knew exactly what to do because that’s how many times we rehearsed.”
She also noted that the pandemic offered additional time to connect deeply with the material. “We all had scripts which we could read and study. That’s what is called a text prompt,” she said, emphasising the clarity and direction Ratnam provided.
“There’s a certain confidence I have,” she added. “I don’t have to go on set ever and wonder what to do. He already told me. He told me 2–3 months back.”
Trisha also drew a parallel with another icon of Indian cinema: “Kamal sir is another such person who works like that,” she said, referring to Kamal Haasan, her Thug Life co-star.
With Thug Life generating buzz as one of the year’s most awaited films, Trisha Krishnan’s words only add to the intrigue. Produced by Raaj Kamal Films International, Madras Talkies, and Red Giant Movies, Thug Life stars Kamal Haasan, Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan, Abhirami, and Aishwarya Lekshmi. The film is set to release on 5 June 2025.
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