Kamal Haasan and Trisha Krishnan ’s visibly intense relationship in the ‘Thug Life’ trailer set the internet ablaze earlier this month. However, it also sparked debates about 70-year-old Kamal Haasan romancing 42-year-old Trisha on screen, and 41-year-old Abhirami playing his wife. Director Mani Ratnam has now addressed the criticism.

Mani Ratnam about age gap between Kamal and Trisha

In an interview with Mid-Day, Mani Ratnam responded to the backlash by pointing out that real-life relationships with notable age differences are not uncommon and should not be judged differently on screen.

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Kamal Haasan Returns

“In real life, there are people, slightly older, who have relationships with younger individuals, male or female. It is a fact of life. It has been like that for a long time—it’s not just now. When it appears in cinema, we try to find fault with it or pass judgement, which means we are attempting to ignore what is happening in our society and insisting that it should only be one way,” he stated.

Mani Ratnam requests audience to see them as characters not Kamal and Trisha

The acclaimed filmmaker also urged audiences to evaluate such scenes based on the characters, not the actors portraying them. He further clarified that it is not Trisha and Kamal—it is just two characters in the narrative. They want the audience to form an opinion after watching the story in the film, not judge Kamal and Trisha for portraying those roles.