‘Thug Life’ will not be released in Karnataka on June 5, Kamal Haasan tells court

Movie 'Thug Life' will not be released in Karnataka on June 5, the scheduled date for the pan-India release of the much anticipated movie, Kamal Haasan informed the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday.

The court posted to June 10 the hearing on his plea seeking adequate security at theatres planning to screen it in the state amidst the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) boycott.

Justice M Nagaprasanna noted that the producers of the movie have said that they are not willing to screen the movie in Karnataka, unless there is a dialogue or a trialogue involving the KFCC.

The court also strongly criticised Haasan for his recent remark suggesting that "Kannada was born out of Tamil", and observed that a "single apology could have resolved the situation".

The remark, reportedly made by Haasan at a promotional event in Chennai for his upcoming Tamil film 'Thug Life', sparked a backlash in Karnataka, prompting the KFCC to announce that the film would not be screened in the state unless Haasan apologised.

In response, Raajkamal Films International—the production company co-founded by Haasan—filed a plea before the High Court seeking protection for the film's release.