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Raaj Kamal Films International told the Karnataka High Court on June 3, 2025, that it would not insist on releasing Thug Life in the state until it had spoken with the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce. That was the production house’s position at that hearing—not a final ruling on the film’s release. Later Supreme Court proceedings addressed threats to screenings and the state’s responsibility to protect them, but the reports reviewed do not establish whether the film was ultimately screened in Karnataka.
Why the Karnataka release was disputed
The dispute followed a remark Kamal Haasan made at Thug Life’s audio launch in Chennai on May 24, 2025. Addressing Kannada actor Shivarajkumar, Haasan said, as reported by Scroll: “Actor Shivarajkumar is my family living in another state… Your language was born out of Tamil. So, you are included in that line.”
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Pro-Kannada groups objected and demanded an apology. Scroll reported that Karnataka Rakshana Vedike threatened a boycott and that posters were torn in Bengaluru. Haasan responded on May 28: “I think what I said was said with a lot of love. Historians have taught me the language’s history… I didn’t mean anything.”
Thug Life was directed by Mani Ratnam, produced in part by Red Giant Movies and dubbed in several languages, including Kannada, according to Scroll’s June 3 report. The film was then scheduled to open on June 5.
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What the production house told the High Court on June 3
At the hearing, Raaj Kamal Films International’s lawyer, Dhyan Chinappa, told the Karnataka High Court that the company would not insist on a Karnataka release until it had a discussion with the state’s Film Chamber of Commerce. The headline’s “for now” reflects that temporary position; it does not mean the court issued a permanent ban.
Justice M. Nagaprasanna verbally urged Haasan to apologise. Scroll reported the judge’s oral observations through Live Law and The Hindu, and said Haasan declined to apologise at the hearing, maintaining that he had no malice behind his remarks. These are reported comments from the hearing, not a verified quotation from a written order or a final judicial holding.
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What changed in the Supreme Court
June 17: criticism of an “extra-judicial ban”
On June 17, the Supreme Court criticised the Karnataka government over what it described as an “extra-judicial ban” and said the state had a responsibility to ensure the screening of a film carrying a Central Board of Film Certification certificate. A bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Manmohan was reported by Scroll as saying, “Rule of law must prevail,” and, “It cannot be that at the fear of burning down the cinemas, that the film cannot be shown.”
The state’s counsel told the court that Haasan had decided not to release the film until concerns with the Karnataka Film Chamber were resolved. The court’s comments addressed the threat of preventing a screening; they did not establish that the producers had decided to proceed with one. Scroll’s June 17 report recounts the hearing.
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June 19: protection assured if the producers chose to release
On June 19, the Supreme Court directed Karnataka to act against anyone attempting to forcibly obstruct the release. The state told the court it would provide “full protection and security” if the producers chose to release the film, and the court closed the public interest litigation seeking screening. As Scroll reported that day, the assurance was conditional on the producers choosing to release the film.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Was Thug Life eventually screened in Karnataka?
The reports establishing this chronology do not say whether the producers later chose to release the film in Karnataka or whether screenings took place. The June 19 security assurance is not proof of a screening, and the film’s Kannada dub does not establish that it was shown in the state. The reported court developments therefore clarify the parties’ positions and the state’s undertaking, but do not settle the film’s eventual Karnataka screening history.
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