Tamil megastar Kamal Haasan on Wednesday issued a clarification regarding his recent remarks on Kannada language that sparked a controversy in Karnataka, with pro-Kannada groups calling for a boycott of his upcoming movie Thug Life.
Calling his clarification an "explanation" and not an "answer," the actor-turned-politician said that those who turned his "Kannada was born out of Tamil" remark into a controversy were "confusing the issue."
"What I said was said out of love, and a lot of historians have taught me language history. I didn't mean anything," Kamal Haasan told reporters.
He also said Tamil Nadu is a "rare state" which has been open to anyone.
"Tamil Nadu is a state where a Menon has been our Chief Minister, where a Reddy has been our Chief Minister, a Tamil has been our CM, and a Kannadiga Iyengar has been our Chief Minister," he said.
In an apparent response to boycott calls against his film, the veteren actor expressed hope that the people of Karnataka will take care of him and the movie.
"When there was a problem from a chief minister who hailed from Karnataka (Jayalalithaa), it was Karnataka which gave me support. Kannadigas said 'come here, we will give you a house, don't go anywhere'. So the people will take care of Thug Life, Kamal Haasan," he said.
"This is not an aswner, an explanation. Love will never apologise," he added.
Several groups, including the BJP have called for the boycott of his movie Thug Life, while also threatening to ban the film unless Kamal Haasan issues a public apology.
During the audio launch of Thug Life in Chennai, Kamal Haasan had claimed that "Kannada language was born out of Tamil."
The veteran actor began his speech with the phrase "Uyire Urave Tamizhe," which translates to "my life and my family is Tamil language." Turning to Kannada actor Shivarajkumar, 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).”
Responding to the statements, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said the Kannada language has a very long history, and actor Kamal Haasan is unaware of it.
"Kannada language has a very long history... he (Kamal Haasan) doesn't know," Siddaramaiah told reporters.
Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra on Tuesday accused the actor of "disrespecting" Kannada in his effort to glorify his own mother tongue.
The BJP leader also demanded that the actor issue an “unconditional apology to Kannadigas immediately”.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he said: “Artists should have the culture of respecting every language. It is the height of arrogance that actor @ikamalhaasan, who has acted in many Indian languages, including Kannada, has insulted Kannada.”
He also said Kannada is a prominent language in many parts of the world, including India, for centuries.
“Kamal Haasan, who supposedly brings 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," wrote the BJP chief.
Vijayendra also said Haasan is not a historian to tell with authority which language gave birth to which language.
“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 remind Kamal Haasan that Kannadigas are not language haters, but they never sacrifice self-respect when it comes to their land, language, people, water, and ideas,” he said.
Incidentally, Haasan was in Bengaluru on Tuesday to promote ‘Thuglife'.
According to Praveen Shetty, President of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (Praveen Shetty faction), the actor had left the venue before the members of his organisation could confront him.
“Today we are giving a strong warning to him. You want to do business in Karnataka and show your movies, stop insulting Kannada and Kannadigas. You were here to promote a movie, but departed even before the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike reached there to blacken your face,” he said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
Many users on X have said it is "necessary to teach Kamal Haasan a lesson." One post read: “Ban his film Thug Life in Karnataka. With all due respect, Kamal should have had some sense before blabbering white lies.”
Another user wrote: “I fully support Kannada activists in any action they take against Kamal Haasan — whether it’s boycotting his films, demanding an apology, or launching massive protests in Bengaluru in the coming days.”
(With inputs from PTI)