Kamal Haasan faces flak for 'Kannada was born from Tamil' comment

Pro-Kannada groups and BJP Karnataka leaders threaten to ban Kamal Haasan's new film 'Thug Life' after his remarks linking Kannada to Tamil

Tamil megastar Kamal Haasan has sparked a fresh controversy just weeks before the release of his film Thug Life, claiming that Kannada “was born out of Tamil” during an event in Chennai. The remark drew sharp criticism from Karnataka’s BJP leaders and pro-Kannada groups, who have threatened to boycott the film.

 

Speaking at the audio launch of the Mani Ratnam-directed movie, Haasan opened with the phrase “Uyire Urave Tamizhe” — meaning “my life and my family is Tamil language".

 

Addressing Kannada actor Shivarajkumar, who was present at the event, he said, “This is my family in that place. That’s why he has come here. That’s why I began my speech saying life, relationship and Tamil. Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil, so you too are included (part of it).”

 

 

Protests and political backlash

 

Pro-Kannada organisations, including Kannada Rakshana Vedike, condemned Haasan’s statement as disrespectful to Kannada language and identity. NDTV reported Praveen Shetty, leader of Kannada Rakshana Vedike, as saying, “If you talk against Kannada and Kannadigas, we have to ban your movie.”   

 

  Activists tore down Thug Life posters in Bengaluru and threatened further action if Haasan continued with such statements. Shetty also claimed that Haasan avoided a planned protest where activists intended to throw black ink at him during a promotional event in Bengaluru.

 

BJP joins the criticism

 

BJP Karnataka state president BY Vijayendra Yediyurappa criticised Haasan on social media, calling his remarks “uncultured behaviour” and “the height of arrogance".

 

“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,” Yediyurappa said in a post on X.

 

ಮಾತೃಭಾಷೆಯನ್ನು ಪ್ರೀತಿಸಬೇಕು, ಆದರೆ ಅದರ ಹೆಸರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ದುರಭಿಮಾನ ಮೆರೆಯುವುದು ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿ ಹೀನ ನಡವಳಿಕೆಯಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಅದರಲ್ಲೂ ಕಲಾವಿದರಿಗೆ ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಂದು ಭಾಷೆಯನ್ನೂ ಗೌರವಿಸುವ ಸಂಸ್ಕಾರ ಇರಬೇಕು. ಕನ್ನಡವೂ ಸೇರಿದಂತೆ ಅನೇಕ ಭಾರತೀಯ ಭಾಷೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನಟಿಸಿರುವ ನಟ @ikamalhaasan ತಮ್ಮ ತಮಿಳು ಭಾಷೆಯನ್ನು ವೈಭವಿಕರಿಸುವ ಮತ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿ ನಟ… pic.twitter.com/PrfKX099lZ

— Vijayendra Yediyurappa (@BYVijayendra) May 27, 2025

  He highlighted Kannada’s rich heritage, dating back over 2,500 years, and accused Haasan of displaying an “ungrateful personality” for insulting the language despite having acted in Kannada films. Yediyurappa also said Haasan had previously “insulted Hinduism and hurt religious sentiments".

 

Calling on Haasan to apologise, he said, “Kamal Haasan should immediately apologise to Kannadigas for hurting the self-respect of 6.5 crore people.”   

 

Boycott threats loom over 'Thug Life'

 

Haasan’s remarks have intensified calls for a boycott of Thug Life in Karnataka unless he issues a clarification or apology. The film is scheduled to release on June 5 and marks Haasan’s second collaboration with Mani Ratnam after their iconic 1987 film Nayakan.