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Makers of Kamal Haasan's Thug Life say Karnataka govt failed to act when fringe groups threatened to burn down theatres
The Supreme Court on Friday sought the Karnataka govt's response to a plea seeking protection from threats against the screening of Kamal Haasan's Thug Life.
The makers of Kamal Haasan's film Thug Life have alleged that the Karnataka government failed to protect the film from threats after it faced opposition following lead actor Kamal Haasan's controversial statement on the Kannada language. In their plea seeking protection from threats against the screening of the film in the state, the makers said no FIR was registered against threats to the film. The Supreme Court on Friday sought the Karnataka government's response to the plea.
Thug Life makers allege inaction on Karnataka govt's part
As per the petitioners' plea, there is an effective ban on the CBFC-certified film Thug Life in Karnataka, which is caused by violent threats from private groups, and the state authorities have failed to take action in this regard.
Advocate A Velan said, “A fringe group issued threats of large-scale violence, including the burning of theatres and attacks against members of the Tamil linguistic minority residing in Karnataka. Despite these open and public threats, not a single FIR was registered, nor was any prosecution initiated by the State Government. On the contrary, the government appeared to adopt the position of the very fringe elements that issued those threats. We are aggrieved by this inaction and are now before the Supreme Court, seeking enforcement of this Court's past directions.”
The plea argued that such inaction violates the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. This right applies not only to filmmakers but also to the public who want to view films.
Supreme Court seeks response
A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan issued notices to the Karnataka government, the State police, Raaj Kamal Films International Private Limited and the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) seeking their responses to the plea.
Advocate Navpreet Kaur added, “We approached the Supreme Court after fringe groups issued open threats on social media to burn down theatres screening Thug Life, targeting both cinema halls and the Tamil linguistic minority in Karnataka. Despite clear Supreme Court guidelines requiring immediate action against such hate speech, the State took no action -- no FIRs were filed, and no protection was offered.... Instead, under pressure, the Karnataka Film Chamber advised theatres not to release the movie, resulting in a de facto ban. This is a serious law and order failure and a threat to constitutional rights... Recognising the urgency, the Supreme Court has issued notice to the State, and the matter is listed for hearing next Tuesday.”
The issue arose over an alleged statement recently made by actor Kamal Hassan, which said, “Kannada was born out of Tamil”. The top court will hear the matter next week.
About Thug Life
Thug Life marks the reunion of Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam after 37 years. The action thriller also stars Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Abhirami, Ashok Selvan. Thug Life opened to bad reviews and lukewarm audience reactions in theatres on June 5. The film has earned only ₹92 crore worldwide in eight days. Some trade pundits argue that the box office collection has been affected due to its non-release in Karnataka and the controversy.
(With ANI inputs)
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