Thug Life: Kamal Haasan's 'Kannada was born from Tamil' remark comes back to haunt actor as gangster drama releases
Thug Life hit the screens today (June 5). It, however, has not been released in Karnataka because of the controversy surrounding Kamal Haasan's 'Kannada is born from Tamil¡¯ remark. Karnataka is usually the second or third largest market for a Tamil film
Kamal Haasan is in the limelight because of his latest film Thug Life, which hit the screens on June 5 amid much fanfare. The Tamil gangster drama has, however, not been released in Karnataka. The film landed in controversy in the state after the Hey Ram actor's ¡®Kannada is born from Tamil¡¯ remark sparked outrage.
Why hasn¡¯t Thug Life released in Karnataka and what is the expected impact?
On May 27, Kamal Haasan attended the audio launch of Thug Life in Chennai. Kannada star Shivarajkumar too attended the function. Speaking at the event, Kamal said that Shivanna is his ¡®family¡¯ in another state.
He then added that ¡®Kannada is born from Tamil¡¯. This upset pro-Kannada activists who demanded a ban on Thug Life. The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce then barred it from releasing in the state. This came on May 30, a day after the body gave Kamal Haasan 24 hours to apologise for his words but received no reply. A Karnataka High Court judge too rapped him for the remark.
¡°Discretion is the best part of valor. We will not permit anybody¡¯s sentiments to be taken for a ride like this by a public figure in a public forum. Mistakes do happen. We are not here for tongue bashing. When mistakes happen what must be done you must know. You cannot unscramble the scrambled egg. You have let it go beyond control. All will be well that ends well,¡± the court said orally as per Deccan Herald
Kamal¡¯s past remark has now returned to haunt him as Thug Life has indeed not been released in Karnataka.
According to Ramesh Bala, a trade analyst, Karnataka is an important market for Tamil films and contributes significantly to their collections.
¡°For Tamil stars Karnataka is a second or third market. On an average a film does around Rs 25 crore there. For Thug Life, it would have easily done Rs 40 crore+ in the market,¡± he told Indiatimes.
Thug Life is expected to release in Karnataka next week.
About Thug Life
Thug Life is a gangster drama directed by Mani Ratnam. It features the seasoned actor as an influential man who is forced to fight with the very family he once built. The cast includes Trisha, Simbu, Ashok Selvan, Sanya Malhotra and Ali Fazal. AR Rahman is the music director.
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Roktim Rajpal is a Principal Digital Content Producer at Indiatimes. He has been an entertainment journalist for a decade. Roktim is a movie buff and specialises in covering South cinema and Bollywood. He also takes a keen interest in web series.
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