BENGALURU: It is an uncertain life for Kamal Haasan’s Thug Life on screens in Karnataka.
The movie will not be released in the state as part of its worldwide release on June 5, with the actor refusing to submit an apology for his controversial remark ‘Kannada is born out of Tamil’ despite an oral suggestion by the Karnataka High Court.
Senior counsel Dhyan Chinnappa, representing petitioner Raajkamal Films International (RKFI), for which Kamal is a director, told the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday that the actor would not apologise since there was no malice in his statement.
The counsel said Kamal had already communicated his explanation to the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) that his intention is not to diminish Kannada in anyway.
When Justice M Nagaprasanna asked why Kamal did not add a sentence of apology in his letter to KFCC, “which is a declaration of justification of his statement”, Chinnappa said that an apology is required where there is malice but Kamal had no ill intention while making the statement in question.
HC to Kamal: Are you linguist or historian?
Then the court said that Kamal’s response was nothing but ego, but the counsel said it was not ego. The counsel said the petitioner is not insisting release of the movie in Karnataka at present unless an encouraging dialogue takes place with the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce, which has demanded Kamal’s apology for undermining the sentiments of people of Karnataka.
Earlier in the morning session, the HC orally suggested Kamal to redeem the situation he created by way of an apology. “We will not permit anybody to take anybody’s sentiments for a ride, that too by a public figure, we will not”, the court orally observed. The HC also said it will not shy away from passing the order in law on the petition filed by RKFI.
The judge observed that “you (Kamal) should be aware of the situation while making the statement which leads to disharmony and unrest”. Now you want the police protection to run your movie smoothly for the commercial interest despite the situation you created, saying that you have invested Rs 300 crore. If you don’t want to apologise, why do you want to release (the movie) in the state?,” the judge said.
Kamal’s counsel played the video of the statement in question through a laptop to say that the statement was not intentional but the court was not convinced. The court also did not accept the letter by Kamal since nowhere he apologised for the statement he made.