While the court has not yet issued a formal order demanding an apology, its observations serve as a stern warning to public figures about making culturally sensitive comments.
Amid the ongoing row over Kamal Haasan's "Kannada language was born out of Tamil" remark, the Tamil Nadu-based actor-politician on Tuesday refused to apologise for his comment while asserting that he had also decided not to release his film 'Thug Life' in the state right now.
Appearing for Kamal Haasan Tuesday afternoon, senior advocate Dhyan Chinnappa told the court the actor has "the utmost respect for Kannada and nothing more needs to be said..." but did not offer an apology, as demanded by the court, and withdrew a petition asking for security at state movie theatres.
The Karnataka High Court on June 3 took strong exception to actor Kamal Haasan바카라s recent comments at the audio launch of his upcoming film Thug Life, which allegedly hurt the sentiments of the people of Karnataka, LiveLaw reported.
While hearing a plea related to the controversy, the court orally suggested that Haasan apologise for the remark, stating that 바카라you may be Kamal Haasan or anybody, you cannot hurt the sentiments of the masses.바카라
Justice M. Nagaprasanna, who viewed footage of the event, referred to Haasan바카라s statement in which he allegedly said that the Kannada language originated from Tamil, sparking backlash on social media and among Kannada linguistic and cultural groups.
The remarks, made during a promotional event for Thug Life, drew criticism for being historically inaccurate and culturally insensitive. The court questioned Haasan바카라s authority to make such a claim, asking, 바카라Are you a historian or a linguist? On what basis have you made this statement?바카라
As per LiveLaw, representing Haasan바카라s production house Raajkamal Films International, Senior Advocate Dhyan Chinnappa argued that the actor바카라s comments were taken out of context. 바카라The statement was made in a different context, and even the superstar of the Kannada film industry was present during the event. It cannot be interpreted as an insult to the Kannada language,바카라 Chinnappa said. He also submitted a written clarification issued by Haasan in the aftermath of the incident.
The court acknowledged the clarification but remained critical of the actor's statement. Drawing a parallel, Justice Nagaprasanna cited the example of Shri Rajgopal Acharya, who had made a similar assertion over seven decades ago, prompting a written objection from scholars of that time, LiveLaw reported.
While the court has not yet issued a formal order demanding an apology, its observations serve as a stern warning to public figures about making culturally sensitive comments, particularly in linguistically diverse states like Karnataka.
The matter has been posted for further hearing, and it remains to be seen whether Kamal Haasan will issue a formal apology to defuse the controversy.
The row highlights the continued sensitivity around linguistic identity in South India, where language is deeply intertwined with culture, politics, and regional pride.