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SC allows 'Thug Life' Karnataka release—Distributor says, 'no sense' now
19 Jun 2025

The Supreme Court of India recently ordered the release of Kamal Haasan's film Thug Life in Karnataka.

However, distributors in the state say it "makes no business sense" to release the film now.

Distributor Venkatesh Kamalakar, while speaking to PTI, expressed doubts about the decision.

The Mani Ratnam film is already two weeks old, plus hasn't performed well at the box office.

'Sentiments were hurt...'
Distributor's perspective

Kamalakar said, "It also does not make sense to release the film, considering that Kannadigas' sentiments were hurt by what Haasan had said about the Kannada language."

He added that Haasan's previous film, Indian 2, didn't do well in Karnataka either.

The new film earned ₹96 crore in two weeks, but it received unfavorable reviews, which implies underperformance relative to expectations.

'Success depends on film's quality'
Box office performance

Kamalakar also pointed out that Haasan's films depend on their quality for success.

He said, "When it comes to his films, the success depends on how good it is. Thug Life is generally considered not a good film by many. So, it is too risky."

The film opened to a fair collection of ₹17cr, owing to a strong advance booking trend, but collapsed pretty soon after.

Pro-Kannada outfits ask theaters not to screen 'Thug Life'
Ongoing protests

Despite the Supreme Court's order, several pro-Kannada outfits in Bengaluru have reportedly asked theaters not to screen Thug Life.

On Wednesday, Bengaluru Police served notices to several pro-Kannada activists, informing them that they cannot protest anywhere other than Freedom Park.

However, activist Praveen Shetty allegedly refused to accept the notice or responsibility for any protests.

While promoting the film, Haasan had said Kannada was "born out of Tamil," thereby angering many.