‘Kannada born out of Tamil’: Kamal Haasan sparks row with remark; 'apologise', says BJP
Karnataka’s BJP chief BY Vijayendra says Haasan’s claim was disrespectful and he was not a historian to have made it
Amid an ongoing row over language in southern India, actor-politician Kamal Haasan has added fuel to the fire with his controversial comment that Kannada was born out of Tamil, sparking sharp criticism in the neighbouring state.
‘Kannada born out of Tamil’
Haasan made the remarks recently during the audio launch of his latest film ‘Thug Life’ in Chennai.
The actor reportedly began his speech by paying obeisance to the Tamil language with the phrase “Uyire Urave Tamizhe” (My life and my family are Tamil). He then turned to address fellow actor Shivarajkumar, a Kannadiga, who was at the event, and while calling him family, went on to claim that the Kannada language was born out of Tamil.
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“This is my family in that place. That’s why he has come here...Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil, so you too are included,” reports quoted him as saying.
Disrespect to Kannada: Karnataka BJP chief
Haasan’s remark has sparked off a huge row in Karnataka, with several political leaders accusing him of disrespecting Kannada language and demanding an apology for his comment.
Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra on Tuesday (May 27) alleged that Haasan disrespected 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, 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.”
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‘Kamal Haasan not a historian’
Stating that Kannada has been a prominent language in many parts of the world for centuries, Vijayendra, said Haasan, by his statement has only hurt the self-respect of 6.5 crore Kannadigas.
“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.
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Stern warning
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.