Kamal Haasan
Credit: PTI Photo
Bengaluru: Raajkamal Films International, Chennai, the producers of Kamal Haasan starrer movie Thug Life has filed a petition before the Karnataka High Court challenging the resolution by the Karnataka Film Chamber Commerce (KFCC) to ban the release of the movie in Karnataka.
The movie is set to release on June 5, 2025. The petition is likely to come up for hearing in a day or two after scrutiny.
The petitioner contended that the press release regarding the decision of KFCC to ban the movie appears to be not based on the content of the film but on alleged personal remarks made by Kamal Haasan regarding the linguistic and historical relationship between Tamil and Kannada languages. During the audio launch programme of the movie, the lead actor in the movie Kamal Haasan had said,” ’Kannada was born out of Tamil’.
The petition said the ban imposed by the KFCC infringes upon its fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 19 (1)(g) of the Constitution of India. The petitioner has raised concerns that the screening of the movie may not be allowed in the state in the wake of Kamal Haasan’s personal remarks.
The petitioner claimed that the movie, directly or indirectly, has no characters and statements, dialogues, views and opinions about the relationship between the two languages. According to the petitioner, Kamal Haasan’s statement was misquoted.
The petition said that during his speech, Kamal Haasan expressed the camaraderie and love he shared with the Kannada film fraternity and particularly with Kannada actor Shiva Rajkumar, who was present at the audio launch. Further in his speech, Kamal Haasan remarked that ’Kannada was born out of Tamil’ and he further added that he considers Kannadigas as his own family.
“It is relevant to note that the said remark was directed towards a fellow artiste and prominent figure of the Kannada film industry and only sought to express cultural solidarity and affection between the people of the state of Karnataka and state of Tamil Nadu. Immediately after his speech, his remarks have been selectively quoted (rather misquoted) by certain groups and individuals and there has been deliberate misinterpretation of his speech, which has resulted in unwarranted backlash including call for banning the release and distribution of the film ‘Thug Life’ in the state of Karnataka. Thereafter, the 5th respondent (The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce) announced that it would not permit the release of the said film unless Kamal Haasan issues an apology,” the petition said.
The petition has sought directions to the state machinery, including the police department, to take appropriate steps and to provide necessary security to the director, producers, cast and others associated with the making of the movie, the exhibitors, theatre owners and other places which screen the movie. The petition has also sought appropriate security to ensure uninterrupted screening of the movie.