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Tamil megastar Kamal Haasan, weeks before the release of his latest film, Thug Life, has stoked a fresh controversy with his "your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil" remark at an event in Chennai.
Tamil megastar Kamal Haasan, weeks before the release of his latest film, Thug Life, has stoked a fresh controversy with his "your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil" remark at an event in Chennai.
The actor began his speech with the phrase "Uyire Urave Tamizhe", meaning "my life and my family is Tamil language".
Then moving to Shivarajkumar, a Kannada actor, who was also present at the event, Haasan said, “This is my family in that place. That's why he (Shivarajkumar) has come here. That's why I began my speech saying life, relationship and Tamil. Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil, so you too are included (part of it).”
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The comments drew sharp criticism in Karnataka.
Karnataka BJP chief Yediyurappa slams Haasan's remarks
BJP Karnataka State President Vijayendra Yediyurappa has launched a scathing attack on actor Kamal Haasan for his alleged remarks claiming that "Kannada has its roots in Tamil," labelling the statement as an insult to the Kannada language and the self-respect of 6.5 crore Kannadigas.
In a strongly worded post on X, Yediyurappa demanded an unconditional apology from Haasan, accusing him of displaying arrogance and an ungrateful attitude towards the Kannada community, despite having acted in Kannada films and benefited from their generosity.
"One should love one's mother tongue, but showing disrespect in its name is uncultured behaviour. Especially artists should have a culture of respecting every language. It is the height of arrogance that an actor, Kamal Haasan, who has acted in many Indian languages, including Kannada, has insulted Kannada by including actor Shivarajkumar in the glorification of his Tamil language," the BJP MLA from Shikaripura stated.
He further emphasised the historical significance of Kannada, asserting that the language has been a "prominent language" and well-respected in many regions across the world.
"Kannada has been a prominent language in many parts of the world, including India, for centuries. The fact that Kannada is the most respected language in the world should be known to narrow-minded people like Kamal Haasan. Kamal Haasan, who has also acted in Kannada films before insulting Kannada, has forgotten the generosity of Kannada and Kannada people and has revealed his ungrateful personality," Yediyurappa added.
The BJP leader also accused Haasan of attempting to sow discord, accusing him of insulting Hinduism and hurting religious sentiments for the past few years.
"Kamal Haasan, who is supposed to bring harmony to South India, has been continuously insulting Hinduism and hurting religious sentiments for the past few years. Now, he has insulted Kannada by hurting the self-respect of 6.5 crore Kannadigas. Kamal Haasan should immediately apologise unconditionally to Kannadigas," he further stated on X.
Yediyurappa challenged Haasan's authority to make such linguistic claims, adding that the actor was not a "historian" to make such claims.
"Kamal Haasan is not a historian to define which language gave birth to which language. But the Kannada language, which has a history of more than two and a half thousand years, symbolises prosperity and represents harmony on the map of India. Let us remember Kamal Haasan, who spoke like a true sage who said that Kannadigas are not language haters but have never sacrificed self-respect when it comes to Kannada land, language, people, water, and ideas," the post further added.
Political leaders react
Kamal Haasan's Thug Life will hit cinemas on June 5, marking his 2nd collaboration with the National Award-winning auteur Mani Ratnam after almost four decades. The two last worked together in 'Nayakan'.
