Complaint Against Kamal Haasan for Kannada-Tamil Comment

Veteran film star Kamal Haasan found himself in the midst of a language controversy after his remarks on the Kannada language. His observation that “Kannada was born out of Tamil” angered individuals in Karnataka, and protests took place with a police Complaint Against Kamal Haasan.

The Controversial Statement
During the audio launch of his latest film Thug Life in Chennai, Kamal Haasan eulogized the Tamil people and the language. And said that Kannada was derived from Tamil. His utterance went viral on social media and there were provocative outbursts from pro-Kannada groups and politicians.

Complaint Against Kamal Haasan:

In response to the outrage, a Kannada organization, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV). Filed a complaint against Haasan at Bengaluru’s RM Nagar Police Station. The complaint stated that his statement was “unlawful” and would disturb harmony between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Protests broke out in Karnataka after activists vandalized Thug Life posters and demanded an apology from Haasan. Some organizations went so far as to boycott his movies and blacken his face if he failed to take back his statement.

Political Reactions
The outrage prompted retaliation from the political leadership of Karnataka. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah rejected Haasan’s comments, saying Kannada has a glorious history and Haasan was “ignorant of it”. Opposition leaders also criticized Haasan for showing disrespect to Kannada heritage.

Kamal Haasan’s Response
In spite of the outrage, Kamal Haasan would not apologize. He clarified that his comments had been “misinterpreted” and made the same out of affection. He went on to say that politicians did not need to comment on the history of languages and that such things should be reserved for historians and linguists.

The Kamal Haasan controversy proves the sensitivity of the linguistic identity in India. Although the comment is made to give a tribute to Tamil culture, they again questioned the origin of Kannada in the history. Whether this will turn out to be a problem or be set right only time can tell.

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