The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a plea from a Karnataka theatre association seeking urgent relief for the release of Kamal Haasan’s film Thug Life in the state. The film has been banned from screening in Karnataka following a controversy over Haasan’s remarks about the Kannada language.
The Karnataka Theatres Association filed a petition under Article 32, saying that some fringe groups were threatening theatres in the state that wanted to show the film Thug Life. The film’s producers also went to the Supreme Court asking for protection. They told the court that when they had earlier gone to the High Court, they were told to sort things out with the very groups that were making the threats.
A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan dismissed the plea and directed the association to approach the Karnataka High Court.
Justice PK Mishra refused to list the case for an urgent hearing and said, “Why file this under Article 32 here? Go to the High Court instead.”
During a hearing last week, the Karnataka High Court had advised Haasan to issue a public apology. Justice M. Nagaprasanna told Haasan’s counsel that as a public figure, he had a greater responsibility, “You are not an ordinary man. You are a public figure. You create a circumstance, cause unrest, and now you want protection from the state machinery. This entire situation could have been solved with a simple apology.”
Haasan’s Thug Life got embroiled in controversy following the film’s audio launch in Chennai. During the event, Haasan opened with an emotional tribute to his Tamil roots, saying, “Uyire Urave Tamizhe,” meaning “My life and my family is Tamil.” Addressing Kannada superstar Shivarajkumar, who shared the stage with him, Haasan added, “Your language was born out of Tamil. So, you are included in that line.”
The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) then threatened to ban the release of Thug Life in the state if the actor did not apologise. According to industry experts, the gangster thriller is expected to face a loss of Rs 35–40 crore in gross box office collections and Rs 12–15 crore in distributor share due to being banned in Karnataka, as per a report by The Hindu.
Also Read: Thug Life Box Office Collection Day 4: Kamal Haasan-Starrer Fails To Create Hype Amid Controversy
