Thug Life Advance Booking Day 1: Kamal Haasan Starrer Struggling At Box Office Amid Postponement In Karnataka Due To Controversy

Kamal Haasan's Thug Life is currently mired in a controversy. The movie is looking at a potential ban in Karnataka after the Kollywood star offended some sections of Kannadigas with his remark on their roots. While the film's fate in the state hangs in the balance, the advance bookings are not looking very good either.

Thug Life is directed by Mani Ratnam and marks his reunion with Haasan after Nayakan (1987). The movie trailer has received a good response from the fans and good reviews can bring in unprecedented numbers at the box office. With its worldwide release date on June 5 fast approaching, Thug Life has collected around ₹2.32 crore in advance bookings from the over 1.3 lakh tickets it has sold in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. The Tamil version leads with nearly ₹2 crore biz so far, while the other versions struggle.

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Meanwhile, due to the controversy, Thug Life advance bookings have not opened in Karnataka. The High Court on Tuesday adjourned the release of Kamal Haasan's movie to June 10. Reportedly, distributor Venkatesh Kamalakar had acquired the distribution rights of Thug Life in Karnataka after paying ₹8 crore advance with the hopes of minting a huge profit. The court has adjourned the hearing on Thug Life release in Karnataka to next week, allowing time for dialogue between the petitioner (representing Kamal Haasan's production house Raaj Kamal Films International) and the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC). The petitioner has agreed not to screen the movie in Karnataka until the matter is resolved.

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This decision followed remarks made by Kamal Haasan at the audio launch of the film in Chennai, where he said that "Kannada is born out of Tamil". The statement sparked widespread backlash, particularly from Kannada organisations, who accused Haasan of "belittling" their language.