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Senior Kannada actress and former MP Sumalatha Ambareesh responded to Kamal Haasan's claim that Kannada originated from Tamil. She urged caution when discussing languages and emphasised Kannada’s proud legacy.
Bengaluru: Renowned Tamil actor Kamal Haasan has drawn the ire of Kannadigas. At an event in Chennai, Kamal Haasan stated that Kannada originated from Tamil. This statement has infuriated Kannadigas, and Kannada organisations have demanded an apology, accusing him of lacking basic knowledge about languages.
Senior Kannada actress and former MP Sumalatha Ambareesh reacted to Kamal Haasan's statement. She said, “One should be careful when talking about languages. None of us are scholars to determine the origin of languages. As a senior actor, he should speak thoughtfully.”
She added, “Kannada’s dignity will not diminish because of someone’s statement. Kannada has its own legacy, and it’s not right to insult it. Statements should be made carefully. Nobody knows which language originated from which. Kannadigas will not tolerate any disrespect towards Kannada. It’s up to individual politicians to decide whether they should speak on this matter or not.”
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Yesterday, senior Kannada actor Srinath also responded to the issue. He retorted to Kamal Haasan, saying, “Kannada doesn’t need to originate from anywhere; it originated where it was meant to. Kannada has nurtured many languages. Kannadigas know where it originated from; we don’t need others to tell us. No individual should claim to be ‘great’; they should say ‘we’. I am proud of my language; we don’t need others to tell us about our language; we know it.”
Following this, at a press meet for the movie Thug Life in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Kamal Haasan said, “I will not apologize,” when questioned about the protests in Karnataka. He stated, “I haven’t said anything that warrants an apology.”
At the Chennai event, Kamal Haasan had claimed that Kannada originated from Tamil. Kannada organisations are now protesting in Karnataka and have also threatened to stall the release of Thug Life if he doesn't apologise. Kamal Haasan’s subsequent statements are significant in this context.
Thug Life is set to release on June 5. Kamal Haasan said, “I haven’t given any wrong information. I only repeated what historians have said. Tamil Nadu is a state that respects all languages. A Reddy was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, and a Kannada Iyengar woman was also the CM of Tamil Nadu. Politicians have no right to talk about language.
Kannadigas have shown me immense love. When there were problems in Tamil Nadu, they invited me to Karnataka and gave me work. There is no question of apologising... ‘There’s no talk of apology in love,’” said Kamal Haasan.
Kannada actors Jaggesh and Srinath have expressed their opposition to Kamal Haasan’s statement. Senior Kannada director Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar has also disagreed with Kamal’s remarks.
