Thug Life row: How skipping Karnataka could impact Kamal’s box office returns

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“Art can wait,” said actor Kamal Haasan, while announcing the postponement of the release of his highly-anticipated film Thug Life in Karnataka. While the film is set for a worldwide release on June 5, Karnataka will not see the film’s release until the controversy over his remarks on the origins of the Kannada language is resolved.

According to industry insiders, this decision is expected to impact the film’s revenue by at least Rs 5–10 crore. Thug Life is produced by Kamal Haasan’s Raaj Kamal Films International.

A Tamil film producer, who requested anonymity, said the film was expected to earn a producer’s share of Rs 10–12 crore in the opening week collection. “Even with an average performance, it would still bring in around Rs 5–7 crore,” the producer added. 

“The gross box office would be around Rs 35–40 crore, which means theatres in Karnataka stand to lose as well,” he said.

Another Tamil producer pegged the potential opening loss at Rs 5–10 crore if the Karnataka release remains stalled. However, if the film becomes a success, such revenue is expected to go up. Both producers suggested that Kamal’s decision could also be based on the fact that Karnataka accounts for only around 10% of the box office earnings of Tamil films and he would be expecting the situation to ease up soon. 

While primarily Tamil Nadu, and then Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana remain the key markets for Tamil cinema, Karnataka ranks lower in terms of revenue generation. 

Only a handful of Tamil films have managed to pull in big numbers in Karnataka. Rajinikanth’s Jailer, which featured Kannada superstar Shivarajkumar in a key role, remains the top-grossing Tamil film in the state with Rs 67.70 crore. It is followed by Vijay’s Leo (Rs 41.35 crore), Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan-I (Rs 28.10 crore), and Kamal Haasan’s Vikram (Rs 22 crore).

Interestingly, Ponniyin Selvan–I performed better in Karnataka (Rs 28.10 crore) than in the Telugu-speaking states (Rs 21.40 crore). In comparison, Jailer collected Rs 83.40 crore from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Leo Rs 47.70 crore, and Vikram Rs 31.40 crore. At the same time, Ponniyin Selvan 1 collected around Rs.225 crore in Tamil Nadu while the GOAT earned around Rs.218 crore and Jailer earned around Rs.215 crore from the state.

Despite a robust theatre-going audience, Karnataka’s own Kannada films often struggle to gain pan-India visibility and face stiff competition from Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi films. This makes the state a relatively less lucrative market for Tamil cinema, unless the film features huge stars.   

Thug Life marks the reunion of Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam after nearly three decades. The film also stars Silambarasan TR, Trisha, Abhirami, Joju George, Nasser, and Aishwarya Lekshmi.

The film has been facing a boycott in Karnataka following Kamal Haasan’s controversial remark at the Chennai audio launch that “Kannada was born out of Tamil.” The comment sparked outrage, prompting the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce and several pro-Kannada organisations to call for a ban on the film’s release in the state.

Although Kamal Haasan approached the Karnataka High Court seeking the smooth release of Thug Life, the court observed that he should apologise for hurting the sentiments of Kannada speakers. The actor, however,  maintained that his words were taken out of context. The case has been adjourned to June 10.