Kamal Haasan’s Thug Life was released in theatres pan-India on June 5, 2025. The gangster action drama has been directed by Mani Ratnam. This film marks a significant collaboration between Kamal and Mani as it marks their union after 36 years. And it is equally as special for their fans. However, amid the ban on the film in Karnataka, fans have found clever ways to watch the film.
Kamal Haasan’s fans travelled 42 km to watch his film, Thug Life
After being banned in Karnataka, Kamal Haasan’s fans were left distraught. However, the actor was not willing to apologise for his statement, ‘Kannada is born from Tamil’, which resulted in the ban. The actor claimed the statement was ‘made out of love’, but the people of Karnataka strongly disagreed. Amid that, fans were left with nothing but to try clever ways that would allow them to see their favourite hero on screen.
Kamal Haasan’s fans, who didn’t want to miss the chance to see the actor on the big screen as a part of a historic collaboration, remained unstoppable. They figured that if the film could not be brought into Karnataka, they would go outside the state and watch the film. Some fans even took to social media and revealed that they travelled 42 km to catch his latest release.
Kamal Haasan’s Thug Life was released on June 5, 2025, and social media has been flooded with pictures and videos of fans celebrating outside theatres and giving their reviews of the film. However, it was a particular user who caught everyone’s attention. The man took to his X account and posted videos of fans bursting firecrackers outside a single-screen theatre in Hosur. They wrote that fans travelled from Bengaluru to the theatre in Tamil Nadu to watch the film. The caption read:
“Thug Life is banned in Karnataka, but no one can stop our love for Kamal Haasan. All the fans in Bangalore are gathered here in Hosur!”
Other fans from Karnataka enquire if they can do the same
Not only that but as the pictures and videos of the Kamal Haasan fans reached the discussion platform Reddit, other fans started enquiring if Tamil people would be offended by them travelling to Hosur to watch the film. A user penned, “Big Kamal Haasan fan here from Bengaluru. Is it safe to come to Hosur tomorrow by bike to watch THUG LIFE? Don’t get offended, please… I just don’t want my vehicle’s tyre to be punctured or vehicle scratched.” Responding to the fan, another fan shared that it should be safe as Hosur has many KA-registered vehicles, just like Bengaluru has many TN-registered ones.
The Kannada language row
Thug Life marked Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan’s first film collaboration in almost four decades. The duo previously worked together in 1987 in the film, Nayakan. However, the actor’s statement during a promotional tour in Karnataka seems to have overshadowed it all. It was on June 3, 2025, when the Karnataka High Court called Kamal out for not apologising while hearing a plea seeking protection for the release of the film in the state. The judge questioned if Kamal was a linguist or a historian and expressed his dismay over the situation, which could have been resolved with a ‘single apology’.
What are your thoughts on the fan travelling 42 km to watch Kamal Haasan’s Thug Life? Let us know.
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