When it comes to storytelling, costume designer Amritha Ram considers Mani Ratnam a “magician”. Her belief was strengthened further when she worked with the filmmaker on Thug Life, styling Kamal Haasan in the action drama. “I see why Mani sir and Kamal sir get along. Their discipline and homework is spot on. Before beginning work, Mani sir gave a holistic understanding of the world. Then we did character analysis. The film is divided into three parts in terms of looks — Kamal sir’s Delhi portions, then Nepal, and Japan. The look requirements were locked in the research phase,” she explains.

Thug Life — also starring Silambarasan TR, Trisha Krishnan, and Abhirami — sees Haasan as a gangster who is betrayed by those closest to him. When crafting his look, Ram says the challenge was to capture both the superstar’s gravitas and the character’s reinvention. “We crafted a look that’s edgy yet timeless, keeping Kamal sir’s larger-than-life persona in mind,” she reveals. 

Kamal Haasan in Thug Life