- By Shibra Arshad
- Wed, 28 May 2025 04:20 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Responding to Megastar and politician Kamal Haasan’s statement that Kannada is born out of Tamil, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that the actor is unaware of the history of Kannada, further widening the controversy around the language.
"Kannada has a long-standing history. Poor Kamal Haasan, he is unaware of it," said Siddaramaiah.
Weeks before the release of his film Thug Life, actor and politician Haasan sparked controversy at a Chennai event, drawing criticism from pro-Kannada groups, as Kannada actor Shivarajkumar was also present at the event.
During the event, Haasan began his speech, saying that the Tamil language is his family and life. Haasan began his speech with a Tamil phrase which translates to "my life and my family is the Tamil language". He further said, in Tamil, "This is my family in that place. That's why he (Shivarajkumar) has come here. That's why I began my speech by saying life, relationship, and Tamil. Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil, so you too are included (part of it).”
The Bhartiya Janata Party also took the opportunity to slam Haasan over his remark. BJP Karnataka Chief Vijayendra Yediyurappa demanded an apology from Haasan and said it reflected an "uncultured behaviour". Calling it the "height of arrogance", he said that artists must be "cultured" enough to respect every language.
"It is the height of arrogance that an actor @ikamalhaasan who has acted in many Indian languages, including Kannada, has insulted Kannada by including actor Shivarajkumar in the glorification of his Tamil language," said Yediyurappa.
He is not a historian to conclude which language gave birth to which language, added the BJP leader.
Praveen Shetty, leader of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, warned that Haasan's film would be banned in Karnataka if he continues making anti-Kannada and anti-Kannadiga remarks.