The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday, June 3, observed that actor Kamal Haasan ought to apologise for his controversial remarks suggesting that the Kannada language originated from Tamil. The observation came during a hearing on a petition filed by Haasan’s production house, Raaj Kamal Films International, seeking the smooth release of his upcoming film Thug Life in Karnataka.
The film is currently facing a boycott call from the Kannada Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) and several pro-Kannada organisations, following Kamal Haasan’s comments made during the film’s audio launch in Chennai.
Justice Nagaprasanna, who was hearing the case, reprimanded the actor for his remarks and questioned his authority to make such claims. “No citizen has the right to hurt sentiments. Jala [water], Nila [land], Bashe [language] – these three things are important to citizens. The division of this country was on linguistic lines,” the judge observed, according to Bar and Bench.
Reacting to Kamal Haasan’s claim that Kannada was “born out of Tamil,” the court questioned, “On what basis? Are you a historian? Or a linguist?”
Justice Nagaprasanna further said that public figures should be mindful of their statements. “There is no apology in it. You may be Kamala Haasan or anybody, you cannot hurt the sentiments of the masses. The division of this country is on linguistic lines. A public figure cannot make such statements. What has happened because of it is unrest, disharmony. And what have the people of Karnataka asked for? Only an apology.”
He added, “Rajagopal Acharya had apologised for a similar statement decades ago. Language is a sentiment attached to a particular people. You have said something that undermines that.”
Earlier, Kamal Haasan had refused to apologise for his comments, saying, “I will apologise if I am wrong. If I am not wrong, I won’t apologise. It’s my lifestyle, please don’t tamper with that.”
To this, the court responded: “You are not an ordinary man… Even ordinary people are facing cases for these kinds of statements. You admit your statement and you say you will not apologise!”
The controversy stems from a comment made by Kamal Haasan during the audio launch of Thug Life in Chennai. While expressing his love for Tamil and thanking Kannada actor Shivarajkumar, who attended the event as a special guest, Kamal said that his “life, relationship, and Tamil” sentiment extended to Shivarajkumar as well. “Your language (Kannada) was also born out of Tamil. So you are also part of it,” Kamal said, pointing to the actor.
While the court is yet to deliver a verdict in the case, it made it clear that the actor should offer an apology to put an end to the controversy.