During the audio launch of his new film Thug Life in Chennai, actor Kamal Haasan sparked controversy with his remarks that “Kannada language was born out of Tamil”. The statement, made a couple of days ago, has triggered a wave of criticism from political leaders and pro-Kannada groups.
Kicking off his address, the actor declared, "Uyire Urave Tamizhe" -- meaning "my life and my family is Tamil language."
Moving on to Shivarajkumar, a Kannada actor, who was also there at the event of the Mani Ratnam-directorial venture, Haasan said, “Actor Shivarajkumar is my family living in another state. That’s why he is here. That’s why when I started my speech, I said ‘my life and my family is Tamil’. Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil. So you are included in that line.”
The comments drew widespread criticism, with pro-Kannada activists reportedly tearing down banners of Thug life in Bengaluru and issuing warning to the actor.
Praveen Shetty, President of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (Praveen Shetty faction), said the actor had left the venue before the members of his organisation could confront him.
“Today we are giving a strong warning to him. You want to do business in Karnataka and show your movies, stop insulting Kannada and Kannadigas. You were here to promote a movie, but departed even before the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike reached there to blacken your face,” he said, according to PTI.
Meanwhile, Karnataka BJP President BY Vijayendra accused Haasan of "disrespecting" Kannada in his effort to glorify his own mother tongue. The BJP leader also demanded that the actor issue an “unconditional apology to Kannadigas immediately”.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he said: “Artists should have the culture of respecting every language. It is the height of arrogance that actor @ikamalhaasan, who has acted in many Indian languages, including Kannada, has insulted Kannada.”
He also said Kannada is a prominent language in many parts of the world, including India, for centuries.
“Kamal Haasan, who supposedly brings harmony to South India, has been continuously insulting Hinduism and hurting religious sentiments for the past few years. Now, he has insulted Kannada by hurting the self-respect of 6.5 crore Kannadigas. Kamal Haasan should immediately apologise unconditionally to Kannadigas," wrote the BJP chief.
Vijayendra also said Haasan is not a historian to tell with authority which language gave birth to which language.
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