Kamal Haasan is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film Thug Life, directed by Mani Ratnam. The Tamil film is a major event, as the two stalwarts of Indian cinema reunite after 37 long years. Their last collaboration was Naayagan in 1987. Recently, a trailer for Thug Life was unveiled, and it has quickly become a hot topic of discussion. One particular scene in the trailer features a kiss between Kamal Haasan's character and actress Abhirami. It also includes a cosy moment between Haasan and Trisha Krishnan, which has sparked heavy criticism on social media. Amid all this, many netizens are now curious to know more about actress Divya Gopikumar, popularly known as Abhirami. ‘Thug Life’ Trailer: Mani Ratnam’s Trailer Packs Punch; Promises Film That Will Be Engrossing Watch! (Video).

Kamal Haasan-Abhirami’s Kissing Scene in ‘Thug Life’ Trailer Draws Criticism

While the highly anticipated trailer of Thug Life should've mainly been about Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam's reunion, a less important scene from it has stolen all the attention. The scene in question is a 70-year-old Kamal Haasan kissing a 41-year-old Abhirami, who is almost 30 years younger than him. According to a recent report, Mani Ratnam has decided to remove the scene from the final cut of the movie to avoid further problems. However, netizens had also creeped out over the scene, calling out the Tamil superstar for doing the scene.

Reacting to the lip-lock scene between Kamal Haasan and Abhirami in a Reddit post, a netizen wrote, "There is nothing wrong in the pairing since the plot demands it clearly shows the aged gangster having an affair with a younger woman. But yes, Abhirami and Kamal sharing a lip lock with a 30-year-old difference seems odd." Another user commented, "It's two consenting adults, but still, they could have cast someone older to be Kamals's wife."

Internet Reacts to Kamal Haasan’s Controversial Kiss With Abhirami in ‘Thug Life’

Noo god please no

byu/NavyLemon64 intollywood

Who Is Abhirami?

Born as Divya Gopikumar to a Tamilian family based in Kerala in July 1983, she changed her name to Abhirami after getting inspired by the character in the 1991 film Gunaa starring Kamal Haasan and Rekha. Talking about her early life, Abhirami completed her schooling from Christ Nagar English School and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Trivandrum. She went to Mar Ivanios College for her pre-university. Abhirami later migrated to the US in 2004 and graduated with a degree in Psychology and Communications from the College of Wooster.

‘Thug Life’ Promotions

 

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A post shared by Abhirami (@abhiramiact)

She began her acting career by doing minor roles in Malayalam movies before shifting to Kollywood. Her Tamil debut came in 2000 with Vaanavil, co-starring Arjun Sarja and Lakshmi, which became a hit. Following this, Abhirami worked in a number of Telugu and Kannada movies as well. Some of her films include Charlie Chaplin (2002), Sradha (2000), Maara (2021) and Once Upon a Time in Madras (2024), to name a few.

Abhirami’s Instagram Post

 

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A post shared by Abhirami (@abhiramiact)

Who Is Abhirami’s Husband?

Abhirami is married to Rahul Pavanan, grandson of Puthal Veetil Narayanan Nair, popularly known by his pen name, Pavanan. The couple has adopted a daughter named Kalki. Regarding her social media, Abhirami has over 460k followers on Instagram and 520 posts at the time of writing. The actress regularly updates fans with photos from her personal and professional life. ‘Thug Life’: Mani Ratnam Reveals How Kamal Haasan Inspired the Concept of His Latest Project, Says ‘I’ve Been Lucky to Have the Best’.

Watch the Trailer of ‘Thug Life’:

About ‘Thug Life’

Directed by Mani Ratnam, Kamal Haasan's Thug Life will be a gangster action drama with music by AR Rahman. The ensemble cast includes Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan, Ashok Selvan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Joju George, Nasser, Abhirami, and Vadivukkarasi, among others. The movie is backed by Kamal Haasan's Raaj Kamal Films International and Madras Talkies. Thug Life is scheduled to hit the big screens on June 5, 2025.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 22, 2025 03:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).