Actor Kamal Haasan’s highly-anticipated film ‘Thug Life’ has finally hit theatres. His ardent fans travelled 42 km to Tamil Nadu’s Hosur, closer to the border of Karnataka, to watch the film’s first-day first-show at 9 am. The film was banned in Karnataka after the actor’s ‘Kannada was born out of Tamil’ remark, which angered the Kannadigas.
On Thursday, a video surfaced online showing fans bursting crackers and celebrating outside a theatre in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. It is 42 km from Bengaluru. An X user who posted the video claimed that fans had travelled from Bengaluru to watch the film, writing, “Thuglife is banned in Karnataka, but no one can stop our love for Kamal Haasan. All the fans in Bangalore are gathered here in Hosur!”.
The Mani Ratnam-directorial, which stars a stellar ensemble cast including Silambarasan TR, Trisha Krishnan, and Ali Fazal, has been banned in the state following a controversy surrounding Haasan’s comments linking Kannada’s linguistic origins to Tamil.
The controversy erupted after Haasan, at the ‘Thug Life’ audio launch in Chennai, said: “Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil. So you are included in that line,” pointing to Shiva Rajkumar. The remark, made in the context of welcoming actor Shiva Rajkumar and celebrating cultural unity, did not sit well with pro-Kannada groups. The backlash was quick, leading to protests, a legal complaint, and eventually, a ban on the film in Karnataka.
The Karnataka High Court also addressed the issue, pulling up the actor for his remarks.
Haasan, however, stood firm and refused to issue an apology. In a letter to the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC), he later expressed regret over the misunderstanding. “It pains me that my statement at the Thug Life audio launch, spoken out of genuine affection for the legendary Dr. Rajkumar’s family, especially Shiva Rajkumar has been misunderstood and taken out of context. My words were intended only to convey that we are all one and from the same family and not to diminish Kannada in any way. There is no dispute or debate on the rich legacy of Kannada language,” a part of his letter read.
The actor also remained defiant and said that he would apologise only if he wrong, not when he is misunderstood.