Kamal Haasan Refuses To Apologise For Tamil-Kannada Remark

Actor Kamal Haasan on Tuesday has refused to apologise for his recent controversial comment that "Kannada was born out of Tamil". The actor also reportedly agreed to stall the release of the upcoming film 'Thug Life' in Karnataka and proposed to have a dialogue with the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC). The Karnataka High Court had orally suggested the actor apologise for his statement.

"He (Kamala Hassan) said 'Art can wait and he says release can wait in Karnataka," Senior Advocate Dhyan Chinnappa, Kamal Haasan's counsel, informed the court. The Karnataka High Court had criticised actor Kamal Haasan for his controversial comment. Justice M Nagaprasanna said that public figures should be mindful of their statements. "Language is a sentiment attached to a particular people. You have said something to undermine that," the court said, as quoted by Bar and Bench. "The circumstances were created by Kamal Haasan, and he has said he won't apologise? You have undermined the sentiments of the people of Karnataka... On what basis? Are you a historian or a linguist?" the court added.

The court's statement reportedly came during the hearing of a plea requesting that Kamal Haasan's film, "Thug Life", be allowed a disturbance-free screening in Karnataka. The plea was filed by Raajkamal Films International, the movie's co-producer and a company founded by Kamal Haasan. The production company reportedly argued that the actor's statement was misquoted and taken out of context. Notably, the court has adjourned the hearing to June 10. The movie is scheduled for worldwide launch on June 5.

Kamal Haasan's controversial comment, made during the audio launch of 'Thug Life' in Chennai, sparked protests from pro-Kannada organisations and the KFCC, who threatened to boycott the movie unless the actor offered an apology.