Follow Us "Kamal Haasan")
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court postponed the hearing on a plea seeking police protection for the release of his film 'Thug Life' to June 20th.
Bengaluru : The High Court questioned whether actor Kamal Hassan has apologized for his controversial statement that Kannada originated from Tamil. The court postponed the hearing on a plea by Rajkamal Films International, seeking police protection for the release of his film 'Thug Life', to June 20th. The court also remarked, "Is discretion not the better part of valor?"
Justice M. Nagaprasanna's bench heard the plea filed by V. Narayan, CEO of Rajkamal Films International, on Friday.
The Kannada Sahitya Parishath filed an intervening application seeking permission to be a respondent in the case to present the history, culture, and heritage of the Kannada language. The court granted time for the petitioner to file objections and adjourned the hearing to June 20th.
Related Articles
Senior advocate S. Basavaraj, appearing for Kannada Sahitya Parishath President Dr Mahesh Joshi, argued that the petitioner had approached the court after misusing the law. He compared the petitioner's actions to setting a house on fire and then seeking help to extinguish it. He quoted Basaveshwara, saying, "The fire within the house not only burns the house but also the neighbor's." He argued that Kamal Hassan had set his own house on fire through his actions.
He emphasized that the Constitution mandates respecting other languages, cultures, traditions, and histories to maintain the country's unity and integrity. He stated that Kamal Hassan's statement that Kannada originated from Tamil was foolish and that he would prove it.
The court objected to calling anyone foolish and mentioned that Kamal Hassan had offered an explanation for his statement.
Basavaraj clarified that his "foolish" remark was a reaction, not out of malice towards the senior artist. He pointed out that Kamal Hassan had claimed not to be a linguist or historian, but an educated person wouldn't make such statements about another language.
He cited historical references to Karnataka in the Mahabharata, Markandeya Purana, Katha Sarit Sagara, Brihat Samhita, and Mrichchhakatika. He argued that Kamal Hassan should be informed of these facts so he could approach the next hearing with more wisdom.
Kamal Haasan continues fight
Rajkamal Films' lawyer objected to the "foolish" remark and stated they would file objections to the Kannada Sahitya Parishath's application. They reiterated their earlier statement that the film would not be released in Karnataka until the next hearing. The judges then questioned whether Kamal Hassan had apologized and advised that discretion is the better part of valor. Rajkamal Films' lawyer assured the court that they would convey the court's advice to Kamal Hassan.
The Supreme Court issued a notice to the Karnataka government on Friday, seeking its response to a plea for protection for theaters releasing Kamal Hassan's 'Thug Life'. The hearing was adjourned to next Thursday.
