Supreme Court On Thug Life ban ‘Can’t Allow Mobs To Dictate’, Tells Karnataka HC To Ensure Release

Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Karnataka government to permit the release of Thug Life, starring Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan and directed by Mani Ratnam. The court expressed serious concern over what it called an “extra-judicial ban” on the film’s screening.

A bench of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Manmohan emphasized that once a film has received a certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), its public release must be protected by the state.

The court said the rule of law cannot be held hostage to mob threats and warned that “groups of hooligans” cannot be allowed to decide what gets screened in theatres.

“If someone has made a statement, you counter it with another statement. You cannot threaten to burn down theatres,” the bench remarked.

The Supreme Court gave the Karnataka government one day to update it about the release of the film in the state. The court said that once a movie gets approval from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), it must be allowed to release in every state. The court also criticised the Karnataka High Court for asking Haasan to apologise for his comments about the Kannada language. The Supreme Court said the High Court has no right to demand an apology.

The case will be heard again on Thursday.

Haasan’s Thug Life got embroiled in controversy following the film’s audio launch in Chennai. During the event, Haasan opened with an emotional tribute to his Tamil roots, saying, “Uyire Urave Tamizhe,” meaning “My life and my family is Tamil.” Addressing Kannada superstar Shivarajkumar, who shared the stage with him, Haasan added, “Your language was born out of Tamil. So, you are included in that line.”

The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) then banned the release of Thug Life in the state if the actor did not apologise. According to industry experts, the gangster thriller is expected to face a loss of Rs 35–40 crore in gross box office collections and Rs 12–15 crore in distributor share due to being banned in Karnataka, as per a report by The Hindu.

It also stars Trisha, Silambarasan, Abhirami, Sanya Malhotra, Ashok Selvan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Joju George, Nassar, Ali Fazal, Pankaj Tripathi, Rohit Saraf and Vaiyapuri.