Director Mani Ratnam, who is currently gearing up for the release of his upcoming film ‘Thug Life’, has put an end to speculation surrounding his next project. In a recent interview, he dismissed rumours of a light-hearted love story with actors Naveen Polishetty and Rukmini Vasanth.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Ratnam was asked about the alleged project following the release of the ambitious ‘Thug Life’ starring Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan TR. He responded, “Even that is news to me, I have no clue what they are talking about. Hopefully I get the next film, but not this.”

When asked about his next venture, Ratnam added, “I am thinking, I am working on a couple of scripts, don’t know what will fall in place. What looks promising today might disappear tomorrow.”

Explaining why a full-fledged love story is not on the cards at the moment, the director said, “There will be love stories in everything. But it will not be a full-fledged love story. You can’t make a love story just like that. It should be something that resonates with the time and setup. It’s not just a man and woman, it is more. Until you find something you want to communicate, discuss or reflect on, you can’t do that.”

Since the initial reports surfaced on social media, fans of both Mani Ratnam and Naveen Polishetty were hopeful about the potential collaboration, given the filmmaker’s celebrated storytelling and the actor’s comic timing. However, it now appears this project was nothing more than a rumour.

Here’s the trailer:

Meanwhile, ‘Thug Life’ is an emotional gangster drama featuring Kamal Haasan, Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan, Abhirami, and Ashok Selvan in lead roles. Jointly produced by Kamal Haasan, Mani Ratnam and Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Red Giant Movies, the film will hit theatres on June 5.