With the much-awaited pan-India movie Thug Life coming closer to release, the hype over it is not merely the starry cast or big budget. The movie, helmed by legendary director Mani Ratnam and anchored by Universal Hero Kamal Haasan, is now the focal point of a raging language controversy that is capturing national headlines.
Starring Abhirami and Trisha in prominent female roles, Thug Life has been designed as a big-budget cinematic affair. But a remark made by Kamal Haasan at a promotional interaction has caused quite an outrage — more so in Karnataka. The veteran actor said that the Kannada language is derived from Tamil, which soon enraged Kannada-speaking audience and set off a wave of criticism on social media websites.
Instead of retracting the statement, Kamal Haasan remained firm. Issuing a strong clarification, he said, “There’s nothing wrong in what I said. I won’t apologize for it. If needed, I’m ready to face a ban in Karnataka. If I make a mistake, I’ll admit it — but this wasn’t one.” His uncompromising attitude only fueled more controversy and polarized public opinion.
Tensions further increased when star of the masses Shiva Rajkumar visited a publicity event of Thug Life. While praising Kamal Haasan by referring to him as a father figure, his next statement — questioning if audiences of Kannada themselves do not watch movies in other languages — did not go down well with everyone. Critics deemed his words as condescending, leading to new backlash.
Now, what started as a movie publicity exercise has become an extended cultural and linguistic debate. Several Kannada audiences expressed discontent on social media, criticizing Kamal Haasan and Shiva Rajkumar for their comments. The row has been at the forefront of both the movie and political world, causing an unexpected stumbling block in the success of the film.
As Thug Life is just around the corner for its release, the world is watching how the creators plan to deal with the increasing backlash and whether reception of the film in Karnataka will suffer. One thing is for sure: the movie is making news — and not just for its filmic excellence.