Kamal Haasan stands firm amid Kannada language controversy: “no apology”
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Ahead of the nationwide and global release of his upcoming film Thug Life, actor-politician Kamal Haasan finds himself in the eye of a linguistic and political storm.
His comments linking Kannada’s linguistic roots to Tamil have drawn strong reactions, particularly in Karnataka, where the film will not be released on its scheduled date.
Despite the backlash, Haasan remains steadfast.
Speaking to the media, he refused to revisit or retract his remarks, which some groups have labelled as offensive. "There can be no demand for an apology in a gunpoint situation," said a source close to the actor, hinting at the pressure from political outfits and fringe groups.
Haasan stated that he would share his views in greater detail later, "as a Tamil who wants to speak a lot," while maintaining that his original comments stemmed from admiration for legendary Kannada actor Rajkumar and his family. “There was no malice toward Karnataka or the Kannada language,” he had clarified earlier in the week.
Following strong comments from the Karnataka High Court and amid concerns over public safety, Haasan decided not to go ahead with the film’s release in Karnataka for now. According to sources, the move reflects a precautionary approach. “There could be a sense of fear; audiences may avoid theatres. A Karnataka release will happen only in a conducive atmosphere,” said a person aware of the situation.
The decision underscores Haasan's willingness to forego box office revenue in favour of maintaining public peace. One associate of the actor lamented the recurring pattern in Indian public discourse: “Fringe groups tend to have their way threatening to trigger law and order problems. In a democracy, there should be conversations even amid disagreements.”
Political backing came from Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK, which previously supported Haasan’s Rajya Sabha nomination. Senior DMK leader KN Nehru defended Haasan’s statement, saying, “Tamil is the root of south Indian languages like Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam. What he said is correct and historically factual.”
