Let Kamal Haasan go to court, no K'taka cinema will screen 'Thug Life': KFCC

Let actor Kamal Haasan go to court, but no theatres in Karnataka will screen the actor-politician's upcoming film Thug Life, Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) president M. Narasimhalu said on Monday.

He was reacting to the news that the film's co-producer Raaj Kamal International had approached the court for protection.

Speaking to PTI Videos, Narasimhalu said they only knew about Haasan's production house approaching the Karnataka High Court after the news was reported in the media.

"We will also talk to our legal team. This is not just a film industry issue; this has become a state and language issue. We have received a letter from the government regarding this. So everyone, including pro-Kannada organisations, politicians and the people of the state, has demanded an apology. Let them go to court. We have not done anything against the law. Here, none of our theatres will screen it," Narasimhalu said.

He said the distributors had informed him that they would arrive at a decision on Tuesday after speaking to Haasan, who is right now in Dubai, promoting the film.

"So, after talking to him, they will tell us their decision. We will also discuss the court protection move and take a decision," said Narasimhalu, adding that even the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce has tried reaching out to Haasan.

The actor moved the Karnataka High Court on Monday, requesting protection to ensure the smooth release of Thug Life in the state.

The move comes in response to the KFCC's recent announcement that it would not permit the screening of the film in Karnataka unless Haasan issues a public apology for his recent comment suggesting that Kannada evolved from Tamil and therefore belonged to the same linguistic family.

The actor-politician had clarified that his remarks on Kannada were made out of love and that "love will never apologise".