Actor Kamal Haasan says ‘Kannada was born out of Tamil’, faces backlash
Actor Kamal Haasan stirred a controversy with his recent comments at a film promotion event in Chennai.
Where he stated that the “Kannada language was born out of Tamil.” The remarks, made during the audio launch of his latest film ‘Thug Life’, have drawn sharp criticism from pro-Kannada groups.
The actor, while addressing the audience at the event, Kamal Haasan began his speech with the phrase “Uyire Urave Tamizhe”, meaning “my life and my family is Tamil language”.
He then went on to say, “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.”
Shivarajkumar, a Kannada actor, was also present at the Saturday event of the Mani Ratnam-directorial venture.
The comments were met with backlash in Karnataka. Pro-Kannada organisations, such as the Kannada Rakshana Vedike, condemned the remarks and warned of serious consequences if Kamal Haasan continued to make such statements.
Kannada Rakshana Vedike leader Praveen Shetty said, “Kamal Haasan said Tamil is better than Kannada and Kannada only after Tamil was born. We are warning Kamal, you need business in Karnataka? And yet insulting Kannada.”
He further said, “Today you were here in the state and we were ready to apply black ink to you and you’ve run away. We warn you, if you talk against Karnataka and people of state, there’ll be protests against you. We warn you, your movie will be banned in Karnataka.”
Activists from pro-Kannada groups gathered at a venue in Bengaluru where Kamal Haasan was reportedly scheduled to appear for his film’s promotion, intending to mark their protest by throwing black ink at him. Protesters later claimed that Kamal Haasan had become aware of their plans and left the spot.
The controversy adds a fresh layer of tension between linguistic pride and regional sentiment, with calls now being made for a boycott of Kamal Haasan’s films in Karnataka if he does not issue a clarification or apology.