Supreme Court issues notice to Karnataka government over Kamal Haasan's Thug Life screening row

SC issues notice regarding Thug Life screening

The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Karnataka government, seeking its response to a petition calling for the safe and unhindered screening of actor Kamal Haasan’s Tamil film Thug Life within the State.

The plea was heard by a Vacation Bench led by Justice P.K. Mishra, with petitioner M. Mahesh Reddy, represented by advocate Athenam Velan, urging the court to intervene against individuals who have allegedly threatened cinema halls and instigated violence aimed at disrupting the release.

According to The Hindu, Mr. Velan told the court that the threats surrounding the film's screening were not the result of any legitimate legal process, but rather part of what he described as a “deliberate campaign of terror, including explicit threat of arson against cinema halls, incitement of large-scale violence targeting linguistic minorities.”

The court has scheduled a further hearing on the matter for Tuesday.

The petition points to an escalating atmosphere of hostility, claiming that "fringe elements" in Karnataka have threatened theatres with arson should they go ahead with screening the CBFC-cleared film.

Mr. Reddy, a resident of Bengaluru, had earlier sought urgent intervention citing the grave nature of the threats and the risk to public safety.

The petitioner further criticised the Karnataka High Court’s approach, arguing that it “distressingly appeared to prioritise appeasement” over the protection of constitutional rights, particularly the freedom of speech and expression.

According to the plea, the High Court had failed to issue clear directives for the protection of the film’s screening, instead allegedly entertaining the idea that Mr. Kamal Haasan should apologise to those issuing threats — a stance the petition labelled as a troubling endorsement of “coercive censorship.”

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The petition also questioned what it described as a “flagrant failure” on the part of the Karnataka government to maintain law and order and uphold constitutional freedoms. It argued that the unofficial "ban" being enforced is rooted in fear-mongering and threats of violence, drawing disturbing parallels to past anti-Tamil incidents in the State.

“This serious situation occurs within a disturbing societal context where chauvinistic elements have targeted linguistic minorities such as Hindi speakers in Bengaluru with impunity, fostering a climate of fear that now directly threatens constitutional order over this film…,” the petition warned.

The matter now awaits further scrutiny from the Supreme Court as it weighs the balance between public order and fundamental freedoms.