‘Poor Kamal Haasan’ unaware of Kannada’s long history, says Siddaramaiah

Actor Kamal Haasan’s controversial comment claiming that Kannada was “born out of Tamil” has led to bitter rivals Congress and BJP in Karnataka lambasting him in unison.

Taking a veiled dig at Haasan, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday (May 27) accused the actor of being ignorant of the rich history of Kannada.

Speaking to reporters, the Chief Minister said “Kannada has a long-standing history. Poor Kamal Haasan, he is unaware of it.”

Also Read: ‘Kannada born out of Tamil’: Kamal Haasan sparks row with remark; 'apologise', says BJP

BJP lambastes Haasan

The Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R Ashoka, lashed out at Hassan and urged the state government to boycott all Kamal Haasan’s films in Karnataka.

“I would urge the government that it should boycott all Kamal Haasan’s films in Karnataka, otherwise he will keep acting like a mental patient,” said Ashoka.

"Can the CM @siddaramaiah and DCM @DKShivakumar use Rahul Gandhi and Stalin to warn Kamal Haasan not to come to the trouble of Kannada-language again? Or @INCKarnataka is the high command's devotion and political alliance more important than Kannada for the party?" he stated in a post on X.

"Kamal Haasan, who has hurt the self-respect of six and a half crore Kannadigas with his meaningless words that "Kannada was born from the Tamil language", is very close to him @RahulGandhi and his friend, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr. Stalin," Ashoka.

'Should apologise unconditionally'

Karnataka BJP President BY Vijayendra also joined the bandwagon, accusing Haasan of “disrespecting” the Kannada language in a bid to glorify his own mother tongue.

Terming Haasan’s remarks as the “height of arrogance and arrogance”, the BJP leader demanded an “unconditional apology” from the actor. Dubbing Haasan as “narrow-minded”, Vijayendra said “Kannada has been a prominent language in many parts of the world, including India, for centuries” adding that Haasan, who has also acted in Kannada films before insulting Kannada, has forgotten the generosity of Kannada and Kannada people, and has revealed his “ungrateful personality”.

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“Kamal Haasan, who is supposed to bring 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 apologize unconditionally to Kannadigas. added Vijayendra in a lengthy post on X.

A word from Tamilisai

The actor was also criticised by Tamil Nadu BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan who, as quoted by India Today, said that she is a “ proud Tamil and Indian” adding that “ when we express our opinion about languages we should be careful. We should be constructive, not controversial. Kamal Haasan criticises other languages to appease DMK.”

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Pro-Kannadiga group warns Haasan

Hassan also drew severe flak from pro-Kannadiga groups. Praveen Shetty, president of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (Praveen Shetty faction), issued a “stern warning” to the actor stating if he wants his movies to be screened in Karnataka, he should “stop insulting” Kannada and Kannadigas.

“Today we are giving a strong warning to him. If 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,” said Shetty as quoted by the Times of India.

According to media reports, the controversy started when Haasan while speaking at the audio launch of his upcoming film Thug Life in Chennai, Haasan, as quoted by the Times of India, told his co-star Kannada actor Shivarajkumar, “Actor Shivarajkumar is my family living in another state. Your language was born out of Tamil. So, you are included in that line.”