Thug Life Karnataka ban: State High Court questions Kamal Haasan’s expertise in language row; says apology could have saved trouble

There is a big question mark still looming over the release of Kamal Haasan’s Thug Life in Karnataka on June 5. The film has been ‘banned’ from release in the state by the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce, following the actor’s recent comments about Kannada’s origin from Tamil. The chamber and pro-Kannada groups had demanded that Kamal issues a public apology to avoid such a fallout, but he’s so far refused to comply. Instead, he approached the Karnataka High Court, seeking its intervention in ensuring Thug Life’s smooth release in Karnataka.

However, when the matter came up for hearing on May 3, 2025, the HC remarked that the right to speech guaranteed to Kamal Haasan under the Constitution does not give him the right to hurt sentiments of the masses. Questioning the actor’s expertise in the matter, the court wondered if he spoke in the capacity of a historian or linguist. It also observed that given that Karnataka only sought an apology, his refusal to do so, did not seem right, given that he was, at the same time, hoping to reap monetary benefits from the state.

Will Kamal Haasan be willing to give up on Karnataka box office?

Given that Kamal Haasan refused to apologize earlier, will a court-imposed one satisfy the people of Karnataka? Will Thug Life release in theatres across the state after all and mint money? On social media, the actor’s Tamil fans have been supporting his stance and urging him not to apologize in the matter. The collections he’d have made from the state will not be massive enough to warrant an apology. However, given the performance of films like Jailer, 2.0, Leo, etc., the Karnataka box office cannot be entirely written off, especially if Thug Life opens with positive reviews.

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Rajinikanth’s Jailer, for instance, is said to have made Rs 63 crore in Karnataka, of which, only Rs 5 cr came from the Kannada dubbed version. 2.0 was Rs 46 crore, Leo Rs 42 cr, while Kabali, The Greatest of All Time and Ponniyin Selvan raked in amounts in the vicinity of Rs 30 cr. Kamal's Vikram is also said to have made around Rs 30 cr and the expectation for Thug Life is Rs 40 cr +.