Despite Supreme Court backing, ‘Thug Life’ release doubtful in Karnataka

Members of the Kannada Rakshana Vedike (Praveen Shetty faction) during a protest against actor Kamal Haasan in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit: file photo

There seems to be no respite for Kamal Haasan’s Thug Life in Karnataka. A day after the Supreme Court directed the State to release the film, distributors from Karnataka are unwilling to buy the gangster drama owing to its poor theatrical run across the country.

Thug Life, which hit cinemas worldwide on June 5, 2025, missed its release in Karnataka owing to a controversial remark from Mr. Haasan. During a promotional event, he said that “Kannada language is born from Tamil”, leading to widespread opposition in the State.

The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) expressed its non-cooperation with the film until an apology from the actor. The makers of Thug Life moved court for a smooth release of the movie.

Despite a favourable response from the Supreme Court, Thug Life has no takers in Karnataka as it has failed to meet expectations at the box office. After two weeks of its release, the movie is struggling to touch the ₹50-crore mark in India. Made on a estimated budget of ₹300 crore, Thug Life is heading towards a disaster.

The film, which reunited Mr. Haasan with director Mani Ratnam after 38 years, carried massive expectations. However, the movie received mixed to negative responses from critics and fans alike.

“Kuberaa, with a star cast of Dhanush, Nagarjuna Akkineni, and Rashmika Mandanna is slated for release this Friday. Apart from that, Aamir Khan’s highly-anticipated Sitaare Zameen Par is hitting theatres this week. Distributors will prioritise new films. The verdict of Thug Life is known. No distributor will show interest in buying the movie,” said Aravind, a distributor from the State.

M. Narasimhalu, chairman, Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC), said the chamber’s intention was never to ban the movie. “The controversy wasn’t about the movie at all. We stood by Kannada organisations, theatre owners and distributors, who blamed Mr. Haasan for hurting their sentiments with his statement, and sought an apology,” he said.

Mr. Narasimhalu added that theatre owners fear running the film to empty houses owing to immense criticism of the movie on social media. “Distributors who have paid the advance are planning to ask the makers to return the amount as they have no confidence in making a profit by releasing the movie.”

Thug Life, produced by Mr. Ratnam and Mr. Haasan, is slated to drop on Netflix after its theatrical run. Reports say the OTT platform is re-evaluating the standard eight-week window.

“The movie is likely to drop on OTT in the next two weeks. Distributors will have no benefit buying the film for such a short period,” said Mr. Aravind.