Karnataka Bans Kamal Haasan's Thug Life After Controversial Comment on Kannada

The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) banned Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam's upcoming movie, Thug Life. Kamal Haasan's remarks about Shiva Raj Kumar sparked controversy surrounding the movie, scheduled for release on June 5th, 2025.

During the audio launch of Thug Life, Kamal, while saying thanks to Shiva Rajkumar for attending the event from Bengaluru, said that since Kannada originated out of Tamil, he is also a part of Tamil Nadu, and it's his motherland too.

Now, the KFCC has decided to ban the release of the film in the entire state. Speaking to the media, Sa Ra Govindu, a KFCC representative, made it clear that they stand in solidarity with Karnataka Rakshana Vedhike and other pro-organizations for their demands. Karnataka Rakshana Vedhike filed a complaint against Kamal Haasan for hurting Kannadigas' sentiments with his statement. Following the complaint, the film chamber gave him 24 hours to apologize and announced that the film would be banned if he failed to tender an apology. 

The KFCC representative further explained that they were also under pressure, and whatever the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike said, they had to obey it. The representative also went on to point out that since there was no "sorry" term mentioned anywhere in Kamal Haasan's explanation, they had no other option but to ban the film.

On the other hand, Kamal Haasan had already clarified that he won't be apologizing for something he said out of love, and the people of Karnataka would take care of his film. Now that the movie is banned, it remains to be seen if Kamal Haasan issues a formal apology to pacify Kannadigas and to ensure the smooth release of his movie.