Supreme Court Criticizes Karnataka Government for Banning Kamal Haasan's 'Thug Life'

New Delhi, Jun 17 (PTI) The Supreme Court has strongly criticized the Karnataka government for the non-release of actor Kamal Haasan's film "Thug Life" in the state, emphasizing that mob rule and vigilante actions are unacceptable.

A bench comprising Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Manmohan insisted on upholding the rule of law, asserting that people should not be coerced into avoiding the film.

The Supreme Court has given the Karnataka government a deadline of one day to provide an update on the film's release in the state, asserting that a film cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification must be allowed to screen everywhere.

The justices noted that if Haasan made controversial comments, they should be debated rather than taken as absolute truth, urging the people of Karnataka to engage in discussion.

The court was also critical of the high court’s demand for an apology from Haasan regarding his remarks on the Kannada language, stating it was inappropriate for the court to seek such an apology.

The case related to the movie, which was pending in the high court, has been transferred to the Supreme Court. Further proceedings will take place on Thursday.

Despite its nationwide release on June 5, "Thug Life," a Tamil film by Kamal Haasan reuniting with director Mani Ratnam, has faced a ban in Karnataka following Haasan’s controversial remarks about Kannada.

The Supreme Court's hearing was prompted by a plea from M Mahesh Reddy against the movie's continued ban in Karnataka.

The high court had lashed out at Haasan for his comment implying that "Kannada was born out of Tamil," suggesting that the controversy could have been resolved with a simple apology. This statement by Haasan at a film promotional event led to the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce withholding the film's release until an apology was issued.

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