Mani Ratnam’s Thug Life, starring Kamal Haasan, Silambarasan TR, and Trisha Krishnan, was released across India on Thursday — except in Karnataka, where it was banned after Kamal’s controversial remark that “Kannada was born out of Tamil.”
As a result, the film is expected to lose ₹35–40 crore in box office revenue, according to The Hindu.
Producer and distributor G Dhananjayan shared with the outlet that the Kamal Haasan film will miss out on about ₹35-40 crore gross at the box office and ₹12-15 crore share to producers share for the Karnataka blockage.
The estimate draws comparisons with Telugu blockbusters like Pushpa 2, Baahubali 2, RRR, and Kalki 2898 AD, which earned ₹74–104 crore in Karnataka alone, contributing significantly to their global box office collections.
“With these four Telugu films grossing ₹5832 crore worldwide, Karnataka alone contributed ₹391.20 crore, or roughly 7% of the total,” said Dhananjayan.
He noted that even Tamil hits like Jailer, Leo, Ponniyin Selvan, The GOAT, and Vikram relied heavily on the Karnataka market.
On May 27, during promotions in Karnataka, Kamal Haasan’s remark about the origin of Kannada drew backlash.
Despite pressure from the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce to apologise, Kamal stood by his statement, claiming it was being misinterpreted.
He moved the Karnataka High Court, which advised a “simple apology” and criticised the actor for speaking without linguistic or historical expertise.
The Tamil Active Film Producers Council has warned that Karnataka’s move to delay or block the film’s release could strain ties between the Tamil and Kannada film industries.
Thug Life has received mixed reviews since its debut.
