'Thank you for your support': Kamal Haasan to TN people amid language row

Kamal Haasan's statement comes amid a controversy stirred by his remark that Kannada was born out of Tamil language

Actor-politician Kamal Haasan on Wednesday thanked the people of Tamil Nadu for standing with him amid the controversy related to his remark that Kannada was born out of Tamil language.

 

Addressing a press conference in Chennai with his co-actors from the movie 'Thug Life', Haasan said, "I should thank the entire state of Tamil Nadu which stood behind me." He also spoke about the hard work of the crew and international quality of technicians who worked on the film that is scheduled to release on June 5, reported Press Trust of India.

 

His remark about Kannada at a function to announce the film's release stirred a controversy in Karnataka, followed by calls for ban on his film in the state. The actor had approached the Karnataka High Court seeking directions to prevent any obstruction to the film's release in the state. However, the court criticised his comments and asked him to apologise.

 

 

"If it is a reply of apology, we will take it. There is no apology in it. You may be Kamal Haasan or anybody, you cannot hurt the sentiments of the masses,” the High Court bench said on Tuesday, warning the actor against misusing his right to free speech and expressing its displeasure with the lack of an apology.

 

"Freedom of expression cannot be extended to the extent of hurting someone's sentiment, of a mass in particular...Spoken words cannot be taken back, and they can only be apologised....you cannot unscramble the scrambled egg," the court added.

 

Haasan, however, refused to apologise. He had earlier said that he would apologise if he believed his remarks were incorrect.

 

The next hearing is set for June 10.

 

Meanwhile, the producers of Thug Life told the Karnataka High Court that the film would not be released in the state on June 5.