Kamal Haasan thanks people of Tamil Nadu amid Kannada row
04 Jun 2025

Veteran actor Kamal Haasan held a Chennai press conference on Wednesday to promote his upcoming film Thug Life, which is set to release on Thursday.

The event comes on the heels of the Kannada language controversy over his statement.

Haasan thanked Tamil Nadu and its people for their support during this turbulent time.

Haasan praised Mani Ratnam, too
Gratitude expressed

At the press conference, Haasan said, "Many people came to work on this film, even for small roles, because they wanted to work with Mani Ratnam (the director of Thug Life). It wasn't about their remuneration - all that was secondary."

He went on to thank the people of the state, saying, "I sense the support of all the Tamil people who stood by us and supported us."

"I thank the people of Tamil Nadu for supporting me."

Haasan was all praises for 'Thug Life'
Making of the film

Haasan was all praises for his upcoming film. He said, "The trailer of the film has been a great success because of Mani Ratnam and the technicians who worked on it."

He revealed that he felt "bad" for not being able to complete Marudhunayagam with Ravi K Chandran, but "that wish is now fulfilled with Thug Life after 20 years."

"The movie should be a commercial success, that's ok, but more importantly, the cinema should win. That's important for me."

'Thug Life' Kannada row explained
Film release

After Haasan made the controversial comment about Kannada being born out of Tamil, at a press event for Thug Life, things quickly went south, with many pro-Kannada groups coming out to protest against the film's release in Karnataka.

Things have only heated up, with the actor having to approach the Karnataka High Court, which ended up reprimanding him for not apologizing.