Aactor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan has sparked controversy after suggesting that the Kannada language originated from Tamil, drawing criticism from pro-Kannada groups.
"Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil," Haasan said during the audio launch of his upcoming film Thug Life in Chennai.
The actor began his speech with the Tamil phrase 'Uyire Urave Tamizhe' (my life and my family is in Tamil) and referred to Kannada actor Shivarajkumar, who was also present at the event, as his family from another state.
Kamal, while addressing Shivarajkumar, said: "That's why when I started my speech, I said ‘my life and my family is Tamil’. Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil. So you are included in that line.”
His remarks drew condemnation from pro-Kannada organisations, which said the comments hurt public sentiment and warned of serious consequences if similar statements were made in the future. Activists also tore down posters of his upcoming film Thug Life in Bengaluru.
Karnataka BJP chief, Vijayendra Yediyurappa, reacted to the incident and called out the actor's behaviour in a post on X.
While referring to Kamal Hassan's behaviour as "uncultured", Yediyurappa accused him of insulting Kannada. He went on to say that the actor is not a historian to make such claims and demanded an apology.