New Delhi, June 9 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear on June 13 a plea challenging Karnataka’s "ban" on the screening of "Thug Life", a film by veteran film-maker Mani Ratnam and superstar Kamal Haasan.

Initially, a bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan questioned the petitioner for directly filing a petition before the top court and asked as to why he did not approach the Karnataka High Court.

In response, advocate A. Valan, representing Bengaluru's M. Mahesh Reddy, stated that the Karnataka HC has sought an apology from Kamal Haasan.

After much persuasion, the apex court agreed to hear the matter on Friday.

During the film’s audio launch, Kamal Haasan claimed that “Kannada is born out of Tamil”, sparking strong reactions in Karnataka. Following the controversy, the Karnataka HC suggested that the actor-politician issue an apology, but he has refused to do so.

As a result of the actor's refusal to issue an outright apology, the film’s release in Karnataka has been postponed indefinitely.

Last week, Kamal Haasan wrote a letter to the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce stating that the row over his remarks on the origins of the Kannada language is a result of a misunderstanding. In his letter, the superstar also maintained that he is against the dominance of one language over another.

Despite the controversy, "Thug Life" is one of the most anticipated Tamil films of the year. The project marks the reunion of Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam after nearly four decades, following their legendary 1987 collaboration "Nayakan", considered a milestone in Indian cinema. The gangster drama features a star-studded cast, including Silambarasan T.R. in a key role, alongside Trisha, Nasser, Joju George, Abhirami, Ashok Selvan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sanya Malhotra, and Ali Fazal.

"Thug Life" is a joint production of Raaj Kamal Films International and Mani Ratnam’s Madras Talkies, and will be distributed by Red Giant Movies.

--IANS

pds/vd