With just a day to go for its highly anticipated release, Mani Ratnam’s gangster action film Thug Life has found itself at the centre of controversy. While fans gear up for early morning screenings in Tamil Nadu, the film has been completely banned across Karnataka, following backlash over Kamal Haasan’s remarks.
The Tamil Nadu government has granted permission for five special morning shows of Thug Life, starting from 9 AM and continuing until 2 AM the following day. The request was made by the CEO of Raaj Kamal Films International.
#ThugLife 9am special show TN government order issued! pic.twitter.com/YBEvkeOb7R
— Sreedhar Pillai (@sri50) June 4, 2025
Also Read: Thug Life: Release Date, Cast, Plot, How To Book Tickets And All About Kamal Haasan’s Film
The gangster thriller is currently embroiled in a controversy which erupted at the audio launch of the film Thug Life in Chennai, Haasan opened with an emotional tribute to his Tamil roots, saying, “Uyire Urave Tamizhe” meaning ‘My life and my family is Tamil’. Turning to 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.”
Karnataka film bodies also threatened to ban the release of Thug Life in the state if the actor did not apologise. After Kamal Haasan refused to apologise, he moved to Karnataka High Court to seek direction to authorities to prevent any opposition to the release of Thug Life.
Directed by Mani Ratnam, Thug Life is slated for a global theatrical release on June 5. It also stars Trisha, Silambarasan, Abhirami, Sanya Malhotra, Ashok Selvan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Joju George, Nassar, Ali Fazal, Pankaj Tripathi, Rohit Saraf and Vaiyapuri.
Also Read: Kamal Haasan And Mani Ratnam’s Thug Life Budget Is INSANE! Check Out What Each Star Is Getting Paid
