Will not release Kamal Haasan's ‘Thug Life' in Karnataka, says distributor despite relief from Supreme Court
Even after the Supreme Court pulled up the Karnataka government and the high court over Kamal Haasan's film Thug Life not being screened in the state, the distributor Wednesday asserted that he will not release the movie in the state.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Venkatesh Kamalakar, the Karnataka distributor for Thug Life, said, 'I will not release the movie, and I have many reasons. I bought the Karnataka distribution rights, and today, if any movie has to earn money, it happens only within two weeks. It has been more than two weeks since the movie was released, and it has not done well even in Tamil Nadu.'
Thug Life, starring Haasan and directed by Mani Ratnam, ran into trouble in Karnataka after Haasan's reported remarks that Kannada was 'born out of Tamil'. The Supreme Court Tuesday said the rule of law demands that any film cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) should be allowed to be screened, and 'mobs and vigilante groups' cannot be allowed to 'take over our streets'. It was hearing a PIL seeking intervention for the smooth release of the film in Karnataka.
After the Supreme Court's observations, pro-Kannada activists Wednesday demanded that theatre owners refrain from screening the movie. Kamalakar turned incommunicado as he started getting calls from pro-Kannada activists and others.
Sources said Venkatesh had reportedly paid nearly Rs 8 to 10 crore as an advance to get the film's distribution rights for Karnataka and would seek a refund. A producer told The Indian Express that the movie's distribution rights were bought much before the controversy, and for that, Venkatesh had collected an advance from theatre owners as well.
'Besides business, the pro-Kannada activists are already on the streets and theatre owners are also not keen to screen the movie, fearing attacks on the theatres. Why would someone take the risk of releasing the movie in such a scenario?' asked the producer.
On Wednesday, the Bengaluru police posted notices in front of the houses of several pro-Kannada activists. The letter stated that they were not allowed to stage a protest anywhere outside the designated protest area, which is Freedom Park.
While the police attempted to hand over the notice to Praveen Shetty of Kannada Rakshana Vedike (KRV), he refused to accept any responsibility for the protests. Later, it was posted in front of his house in RT Nagar police limits.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar urged pro-Kannada organisations to abide by the Supreme Court order and said that the state government is ready to ensure the screening of the movie.
The controversy began during the audio launch of Thug Life in Chennai, where Haasan reportedly said that 'Tamil gave birth to Kannada'.
Soon after that, there were police complaints from pro-Kannada activists, and a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed before the Karnataka High Court, which slammed Haasan for making such remarks and did not allow the movie's release in Karnataka on June 5.
Hearing the PIL seeking the release of the movie in Karnataka, the Supreme Court Tuesday transferred the proceedings pending before the Karnataka High Court to itself and fixed it for hearing on Thursday. The Supreme Court, which issued a notice in the matter on June 13, told the state government's counsel to file a counter-affidavit by Wednesday.
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