Thug Life: Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan TR faced loss of Rs 30 crore after Karnataka theater ban? Producers weigh in

Pink Villa

4 hours ago

Thug Life, starring Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan TR in the lead roles, hit the big screens on June 5, 2025. Ahead of its release, the Mani Ratnam directorial faced a ban in Karnataka over the veteran actor's comments against Kannada.
Now, in a recent report, it seems that the film faced a loss of Rs 30 crore after failing to release in the Kannada-speaking region. In an update shared by the production house, Raaj Kamal Films International confirmed the same.
For those unaware, Kamal Haasan made the headlines after he commented against the Kannada language. In a pre-release event, the actor remarked how Kannada was born out of Tamil, which led to a huge uproar among people.
As the pro-Kannada activists protested against Haasan and asked him to apologize, the actor declined. This further led the Karnataka Film Board to impose a ban on the movie, limiting its release.
However, the Supreme Court of India has criticised the Karnataka government and the Karnataka Film Chamber for their handling of the controversy. The apex court has allowed the film's release in Karnataka, questioning the state government and the Kannada Film Body.
On a side note, the Supreme Court further raised concerns on the trend of threatening violence when sentiments are hurt.
Coming to Thug Life, the Kamal Haasan and STR starrer is a gangster action drama, directed by Mani Ratnam, which is co-penned by Haasan. The film narrates the tale of a gangster, Rangaraaya Sakthivel, who once adopted a young boy, Amaran, after a shootout in Delhi.
Years later, the foster father and son develop a strong bond, with Amaran being a formidable member of the mafia. However, a stark turn of events leads to an animosity between them, which causes them to lock horns.
How the father and son end their feud and whether they would finally reunite forms the crux of the film. Apart from the lead actors, the film features Trisha Krishnan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Ashok Selvan, Abhirami, and more in key roles.
The gangster actioner was received with mixed-to-negative reviews from critics but is considered to be one of the highest-grossing films in Tamil cinema for 2025.
Disclaimer: All amounts mentioned in the article are sourced from public platforms. In some cases, teams give their input too, which we incorporate if provided by them. We take all efforts to share possible accurate numbers, however, unless otherwise mentioned they are all approximates. We are open to feedback and suggestions on [e-mail].