Mani Ratnam's Thug Life trailer packs a punch; Promises a film that will be an engrossing watch!

Taking to his X timeline, Kamal Haasan shared the link to the trailer and wrote, "#ThuglifeTrailer Out Now. WATCH NOW. #ThuglifeAudioLaunch from May 24 #Thuglife #ThuglifeFromJune5 #KamalHaasan #SilambarasanTR #IMAX A #ManiRatnam Film. An @arrahman Musical."

The superbly cut trailer gives one the impression that this will be a film that will revolve around the struggle for power.

The trailer opens with Kamal Haasan, who plays a character called Rangraya Sakthivel, telling a kid, "You are someone who saved my life. You have reclaimed my life from the God of Death. Our two destinies were written as one. You and I are now bound together as one. Till the very end."

The trailer gives the impression that Simbu is that kid called Amaran who saved Rangaraya Sakthivel. He exhibits all the traits of Rangaraya Sakthivel. In fact, Amaran is twice as efficient as Rangaraya Sakthivel. "If I jump eight feet, you'll jump 18 feet," Kamal says, to which Amaran corrects him, saying,"16".

The story then seems to proceed to a point where Amaran is made incharge of some operations. Sakthivel says, "I'll handle things from the inside. Amar will handle the rest."

But Amaran being given importance over other established veterans in the gang seems to usher in jealousy and hate. Nasser is seen saying, "If Amar is the boss, do I just watch?".

Meanwhile, Abhirami plays Kamal Haasan's spouse and she feels something doesn't feel right.

Just as there is a struggle within Sakthivel's outfit for power, there are those others outside waiting for an opportunity to seize power and rise to the top. Joju George is seen saying, "Power won't come knocking on our door. We need to take it." Simbu is then shown announcing, "From now, I'm Rangaraya Sakthivel."

The trailer finally ends with Kamal Haasan saying,"This is a story that happens between the God of Death and me. Let's see who emerges victorious, you or me."

Thug Life, directed by Mani Ratnam, features Kamal Haasan in the lead. The film will also feature actors Silambarasan, Trisha, Joju George, Ashok Selvan and Abhirami in pivotal roles.

Kamal Haasan plays a character called Rangaraya Sakthivel Naickan in this film, which director Mani Ratnam's production house Madras Talkies had described as "an epic tale of power, rebellion, and triumph."

The film has music by A R Rahman and cinematography by Ravi K Chandran. It has editing by Mani Ratnam's trusted editor Sreekar Prasad and stunts by the stuntmasters, Anbariv.

==IANS