Kamal Haasan clarifies Kannada remark: It was a statement of love
The Hindu
Actor ‘Kamal Haasan’ has responded to the controversy around his remark on the Kannada language, and defended his statement by calling it an expression of love
Veteran star Kamal Haasan has responded to the controversy around his statement on the Kannada language. The actor, while promoting his upcoming movie Thug Life, had said that “Tamil gave birth to Kannada.” Kamal Haasan’s remark, made at the audio launch of the Mani Ratnam-directorial in Chennai, drew criticism from the people of Karnataka.
Pro-Kannada groups demanded an apology from Kamal Haasan even as they held protests in Bengaluru and Belagavi against the actor for hurting the Kannada sentiments. Angry fans on social media threatened to boycott the movie, set to release on June 05, 2025. Addressing the row, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah told reporters that “Kannada language has a very long history...he (Kamal Haasan) doesn’t know.”
The BJP too joined the backlash, demanding an apology from the star. Karnataka BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra condemned Kamal Haasan’s remarks as “uncultured” and “insulting” to Kannada and its 6.5 crore speakers
Kamal Haasan, addressing the media in Thiruvananthapuram as part of the film’s promotions, said people “have confused the issue.” “My statement was said out of love,” said the National Award-winning actor.
He added that politicians “are not qualified to talk about it” (history of languages). “They don’t have the education to talk about it, including me. Let’s leave the discussions to historians, language experts, and archeologists. People will take care of Thug Life and Kamal Haasan,” he said.
ALSO READ:Actor Kamal Haasan is not aware of Kannada’s ancient history: CM Siddaramaiah
Speaking about his controversial statement, Kamal Haasan said, “It was a statement of love to Mr Shivanna (Kannada star Shivarajkumar). His father (Dr Rajkumar) is like my father. We are a family, and so are the other languages.
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