Kamal Haasan’s thugs released on Netflix a month after the dramatic release
‘Thug Life’, starring Kamal Haasan and directed by Mani Ratnam, is now available on Netflix, streaming in five languages. The film started streaming on the platform 28 days after its dramatic release.
In short
- Kamal Haasan’s comments gave birth to backlash in Karnataka
- The film was released on 5 June, but not released in Karnataka
- Available on Netflix in five Indian languages
Kamal Haasan’s latest film ‘Thug Life’, directed by Mani Ratnam, has made its way for Netflix. The film was released in India on June 5, 2025, but during a campaigner program, a special screen was not done in Karnataka due to controversies around his prominent star, Kamal Haasan.
When Haasan commented, there was a dispute of “your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil”, causing an important backlash. Despite the resentment, he stood by his statement and chose not to release the film in Karnataka. The decision came between calls for apology from various quarters, which highlights the sensitivity of linguistic pride in the region.
Despite these challenges, ‘Thug Life’ has now made a quiet start on Netflix available in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. The OTT release of the film was less than a month after its dramatic debut.
Netflix India announced the release of the film with a post in which it is a fight between death and Rangaraya Sathivale, wants to see who wins the game? Watch the game? Watch life, now Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam #Thuglifennetflix #kamalamantflix #Thuglifenthlix #thuglifenaman (SIC).
Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan joined the army after 38 years for ‘thug life’. The emotional gangster drama included Silambarson, Trisha Krishnan, Jujee Gareoge, Ashok Selvan, Abhirami and Nasar, among others
