Ranjani Raghavan clarifies photo with Kamal Haasan after backlash over Kannada book gift

Kannada actress Ranjani Raghavan responded to social media trolling after gifting a Kannada book to Kamal Haasan. She clarified that the photo was from a past meeting and not in support of his controversial remarks on Kannada.

Kannada actress and filmmaker Ranjani Raghavan has responded to social media trolling after a photo of her gifting a Kannada book to actor Kamal Haasan went viral. The image sparked backlash due to Haasan's earlier controversial remarks about the Kannada language.

In a video posted on Instagram, Raghavan clarified the context behind the photo and addressed the criticism she faced.

What happened?

Two days ago, Raghavan had posted a photo with Kamal Haasan on Instagram, captioned “Kannada book to Kamal Haasan”. While some followers appreciated the gesture, others accused her of seeking publicity or supporting someone who had allegedly insulted the Kannada language.

Why did Ranjani Raghavan gift the book?

Raghavan explained that the photo was taken four months ago, during a promotional event for her directorial debut, DD Dhikki. She met Kamal Haasan as part of those promotions and presented him with her Kannada book.

“Meeting Kamal Haasan is difficult for a Kannadiga these days, and he doesn’t seem inclined to meet Kannadigas or accept Kannada books. I haven’t met him after the Kannada language controversy. This meeting happened four months ago during our film’s promotions. He posed with our poster, and we planned to use that for our teaser launch,” she explained.

However, due to the controversy surrounding Haasan’s remarks and his refusal to apologise, Raghavan said the team has now scrapped those promotional plans.

“We don’t support his anti-Kannada statements,” she said.

 “I gifted him the book out of pride in my writing. My intention was to counter his remarks symbolically, but many misunderstood it.”

Freedom of expression

Raghavan also spoke about freedom of expression, stating, “Everyone has the right to express their opinions, but I strongly disagree with Haasan’s claim that Kannada originated from Tamil.”

Having gained popularity through the hit Kannada serial Kannadati, Ranjani Raghavan has acted in several films and is now making her directorial debut with DD Dhikki.