Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], June 2 (ANI): Veteran actor and filmmaker Kamal Haasan marked director Mani Ratnam's birthday with an emotional message that celebrated their decades-long cinematic partnership.

The note, shared publicly, struck a deeply personal tone, reflecting on their journey from the iconic Nayakan to their much-anticipated upcoming film Thug Life.

'Happy Birthday, Mani Ratnam,' Haasan wrote, adding, 'From Nayakan to Thug Life, we've journeyed through time together -- as colleagues, family, co-dreamers, and above all, as lifelong students of cinema,' he wrote on X.

He went on to praise Ratnam not only for his creative brilliance but for being a guiding presence throughout the years.

'Through every chapter, your presence has been a source of strength -- a mind I turn to in moments of doubt, and a soul deeply attuned to the language of film like few others. May your stories keep unfolding, for with every frame, your vision brings depth, beauty, and meaning to cinema,' he wrote, signing off with, 'Forever your friend, Kamal Haasan.'

https://x.com/ikamalhaasan/status/1929393105582616586

Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam share one of the most revered collaborations in Indian cinema.

Their first and most celebrated partnership came in 1987 with Nayakan, a Tamil crime drama loosely inspired by the life of underworld don Varadarajan Mudaliar.

The film not only became a critical and commercial success but was also India's official entry to the Academy Awards that year.

It remains a landmark in Indian filmmaking. Now, 37 years later, the duo is reuniting for 'Thug Life', a high-profile gangster drama expected to hit screens on June 5, 2025.

The film features Kamal Haasan in a central role alongside actor Silambarasan. (ANI)