
The production banner of Thug Life, Kamal Haasan's Raaj Kamal Films International has moved the Karnataka High Court seeking permission for the June 05 release of his film in Kannada. The production banner has asked the court to provide permission for the screening of the film under strict security measures in Karnataka. For the uninitiated, Kamal Haasan's remark about Tamil being the source of Kannada at the recent Thug Life audio launch in Chennai has sparked a political controversy, contributing to backlash from Karnataka's cultural organisations and pro-Kannada groups.
Kamal Haasan has said that he will not apologise for his remark, clarifying that he made the remark out of love for Shivarajkumar. On the other hand, Thug Life's Karnataka distributor has requested time till tomorrow to decide on the matter, and Karnataka Film Chamber Of Commerce insists on an apology from the actor to permit the film's release. KFCC President M Narasimhulu said, “Kamal Haasan is insisting, ‘I have not done anything wrong, so I will not apologise.’ But if he doesn’t apologise, there is no question of allowing the film to be released.” He added, “He won’t receive any support from us. Theaters and distributors have already decided not to screen Thug Life. Even if he apologises, we won’t immediately allow its release.”
Kamal has until June 03 to issue an apology.
Meanwhile, bookings have opened for the film, which reunites Kamal with his Nayakan director Mani Ratnam after 38 years. Featuring music by AR Rahman, the film also stars Silambarasan TR, Trisha, Abhirami, Nasser, Ashok Selvan, and Aishwarya Lekshmi among others.