Ram Gopal Varma DELETES Post Slamming ‘Hooliganism' Over Ban Threats On Kamal Haasan's Thug Life

News18

3 days ago

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Kamal Hasaan moved the Karnataka High Court seeking the release of his upcoming film 'Thug Life', after threats to ban the film over his Kannada remarks.
News18
Veteran actor Kamal Haasan has been embroiled in controversy after a comment he made about the origins of the Kannada language triggered massive backlash. The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce warned that if he doesn't apologize, his upcoming movie 'Thug Life' might not be released in the state. Amid threats to ban the film in Karnataka, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma shared his reaction to the controversy. He criticized the backlash against Haasan, calling threats to ban Thug Life a 'new kind of hooliganism.' However, he deleted the post after a few minutes.
On Monday, Ram Gopal Varma took to X (formerly Twitter), and strongly reacted to the backlash against Kamal Haasan and his film Thug Life. 'DEMOCRACY's new name is INTOLERANCE..irrespective of factual correctness , threats to ban #ThugLife in Karnataka unless @ikamalhaasan apologises , amounts to a new kind of HOOLIGANISM," he wrote. The post has now been deleted.
Kamal Haasan's Controversial Remark
The uproar began during a promotional event for Thug Life, which stars Kamal Haasan alongside Trisha Krishnan and Silambarasan TR. While speaking about the cultural and linguistic links of South India, Haasan remarked that 'Kannada was born out of Tamil'. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah responded strongly, saying that Kannada has its own rich history and that Mr Haasan 'doesn't know about it". BJP state president BY Vijayendra demanded an apology from the actor. Several Kannada groups and language activists also urged the actor to retract his statement and apologise publicly.
However, the South megastar has refused to back down. In a statement, he said, 'It is a democracy. I believe in law and justice. My love for Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala is true. Nobody will suspect it except for those who have an agenda. I've been threatened earlier too, and if I am wrong, I would apologise, if I'm not, I won't." On Monday, Kamal Haasan moved the High Court as the film faced ban threat in Karnataka. A plea has been filed before the Karnataka High Court seeking directions to ensure that the film is allowed to be screened in Karnataka without any disturbance.
Menwhile, Chamber president M Narasimhalu stated that the controversy has moved beyond cinema. 'If he doesn't apologise, Thug Life won't run in Karnataka. This is for sure, this is not about the industry, this is about the state," he said.
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