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Updated 2 June 2025 at 23:07 IST

Thug Life: ₹20 Crore Box Office Loss Before Release? Potential Karnataka Ban Of Kamal Haasan Starrer To Hurt Makers Financially

Will Kamal Haasan lose one of the biggest markets in India for his movies as he refuses to apologise after stirring the Kannada language row during an event of Thug Life in Chennai?

Reported by: Devasheesh Pandey
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Kamal Haasan's Thug Life is facing a potential ban in Karnataka over the actor's controversial comments
Kamal Haasan's Thug Life is facing a potential ban in Karnataka over the actor's controversial comments | Image: Republic

Kamal Haasan's controversial remark, "Kannada was born out of Tamil" has led to intense calls for the boycott of the film Thug Life in Karnataka. State authorities and the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) have opposed the release of the movie in the state till the Kollywood star renders an unconditional apology for his comment at the audio launch event of the movie in Chennai. However, an apology seems unacceptable to Haasan. Meanwhile, big bucks are riding on the movie in Karnataka and its non-release or delayed theatrical debut statewide may result in solid losses for the makers.
 

According to reports, Venkatesh Kamalakar had acquired the distribution rights of Thug Life in Karnataka after paying ₹8 crore advance with the hopes of minting a huge profit. Now, its release is currently in limbo even as the theatrical debut date of June 5 fast approaches.

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Haasan's last three movies have performed well in the state. Vikram (2022) minted close to ₹25 crore in Karnataka, Kalki 2898 AD collected close to ₹6 crore and Indian 2 minted close to ₹9 crore despite being a major disaster. Thug Life had huge anticipation building around it with Mani Ratnam directing the veteran star after over three decades since their first collaboration Nayakan (1987). Like all regions, Thug Life was looking to boost its sales with help from the Kannada market, but for now, makers are staring at losses.  

Kamal Haasan movies Vikram, Kalki 2898 AD and Indian 2 performed well in Karnataka | Image: IMDb

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With music from AR Rahman and an ensemble cast including Silambarasan, Trisha, Sanya Malhotra and Joju George, Thug Life is expected to be a gripping cinematic experience filled with action and drama.

As far as the ban on Thug Life in Karnataka is concerned, a co-producer of Tamil movie has on Monday (June 2) filed a petition in the High Court of Karnataka seeking directions to restrain the State authorities and the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) from taking any step directly or indirectly to restrict distribution, exhibition/screening of the movie in all languages across the state.

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Published 2 June 2025 at 23:06 IST