Kamal Haasan's statement that Kannada was born out of Tamil, during the audio launch of his upcoming release, 'Thug Life', sparked a huge debate in Karnataka.
Published May 30, 2025 | 3:37 PM ⚊ Updated May 30, 2025 | 3:37 PM
Kamal Haasan at 'Thug Life' audio launch. (X)
Actor- politician Kamal Haasan on Friday, 30 May, amid calls for apology and warnings of boycott of his upcoming film Thug Life in Karnataka, speaking to the media, reiterated that he will apologise only if he is wrong.
“It is a democracy. I believe in the law and justice. My love for Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala is true. Nobody will suspect it except for those who have an agenda.”
“I’ve been threatened earlier too, and if I am wrong, I will apologise, if I’m not, I won’t. It’s my lifestyle, please don’t tamper with with it,” added the MNM president.
Kamal Haasan’s statement that Kannada was born out of Tamil, during the audio launch of his upcoming release, Thug Life, sparked a huge debate in Karnataka.
He started his speech saying, “Uyire Urave Tamizhe (My life and my family are Tamil).” Later, referring to Kannada actor Shiva Rajkumar, who was on the stage, Haasan said, “You are my family, residing in Karnataka, and hence, you came all the way here. When I started the speech, I said that my life and my family are Tamil. Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil, and hence you are part of it.”
Following his statements, pro-Kannada organisations, including Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, launched statewide protests slamming the actor, and some of them tore posters of the movie Thug Life. They also asked Haasan to apologise and warned that the movie would not be released in Karnataka if he failed to do so.
Earlier, after facing massive backlash, Haasan said on Wednesday, 28 May, that in-depth discussions must be left to historians, archaeologists and experts.
“What I said was said out of love. Historians have taught me language history, and I didn’t mean anything. Tamil Nadu has been an open state, where a Menon has been the chief minister, a Reddy has been our CM, and a Kannadiga Iyengar has been our CM. When there was a problem in Chennai with the Chief Minister, who hailed from Karnataka, it was Karnataka that supported me. It was Kannadigas who said, ‘Come here, we will give you a home’. It is people who will take care of Thug Life, Kamal Haasan and all these controversies,” he said.
