• Source:JND
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Legendary actor Kamal Haasan, who is under major scrutiny over his Kannada language remark, expressed his grief over the tragic stampede that occurred near Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The tragic incident reportedly claimed 11 lives and injured 33 people, which happened on June 4 as thousands were gathered to celebrate Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) first-ever IPL victory. Haasan shared his condolences with the family of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

Kamal Haasan took to his X (formerly known as Twitter) and wrote, “Heart wrenching tragedy in Bangalore. Deeply distressed and my heart reaches out to the families of the victims in this moment of grief. May the injured recover soon.”

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that the stampede occurred due to the overwhelming crowd at the stadium, where RCB fans were felicitated after the team’s first IPL win in 18 years. The CM expressed the stampede as ‘unexpected tragedy’ and announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the family of the deceased.

Coming back to Kamal Haasan, the legendary actor stated at the audio launch of his movie Thug Life that the Kannada language originated from Tamil. This statement created outrage among the Kannadigas, followed by a reported ban in the state. Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) stated that they are ready for talks if Haasan is ready to apologise for his statement. 

Also read: Thug Life: Release Date, Plot, Cast, OTT Platform, Budget, Trailer, Advance Booking; Everything About Kamal Haasan's Tamil Action Movie

Before the KFCC made a statement, Kamal Haasan wrote a letter to the film body. He mentioned, “I acknowledge your letter dated 30/05/2025. Out of deep respect for the people of Karnataka, I offer the following with sincerity. It pains me that my statement at the Thug Life audio launch, spoken out of genuine affection for the legendary Dr. Rajkumar's family, especially Shiva Rajkumar, has been misunderstood and taken out of context. My words were intended only to convey that we are all one and from the same family and not to diminish Kannada in any way.” 

He added, “Like Tamil, Kannada has a proud literary and cultural tradition that I have long admired. Throughout my career, I have cherished the warmth and affection extended to me by the Kannada-speaking community, and I say this with a clear conscience and conviction: my love for the language is genuine, and I have great respect for the love that Kannadigas have for their mother tongue.”

Also read: ‘Jhooti Khabar Hai’: Pankaj Tripathi Reacts To Be Part Of Kamal Haasan Starrer Tamil Movie Thug Life

Kamal Haasan’s Thug Life hit the screens on June 5. The movie also features Trisha Krishnan, Silambarasan TR, Abhirami Gopikumar, Ashok Selvan and Aishwarya Lekshmi in pivotal roles. The Tamil movie has been helmed by Mani Ratnam and backed by Kamal Haasan, Mani Ratnam, Udhayanidhi Stalin, Siva Ananth and R Mahendran.