Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan on Friday said he will not apologise if he is not wrong and revealed that he has faced threats before, amid row over his "Kannada is born out of Tamil" remark during a promotional event for his latest film Thug Life in Chennai. The statement triggered public outrage.
"It is a democracy. I believe in the law and justice. My love for Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala is true. Nobody will suspect it except for those who have an agenda,” Haasan said.
He added, “I've been threatened earlier too, and if I am wrong, I would apologise, if I'm not, I won't...”
Following Haasan’s statement, protests were held near the INOX cinema hall in Karnataka's Belagavi against him. The protests were organised by the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike organisation, which expressed its anger and demanded the actor's apology over the issue.
Pro-Kannada outfits also staged demonstrations against the actor in Mysuru, Hubballi, and Bengaluru. The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike faction of Praveen Shetty lodged a complaint against Haasan at RT Nagar police station. They also threatened to block the screening of film in the state if he does not apologise.
The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) already announced a ban on the release of Haasan starrer Thug Life over the actor's controversial remark, news agency ANI reported.
Karnataka BJP chief BY Vijayendra said, "Disrespecting another language in the name of their mother tongue is nothing but uncultured behaviour. Having acted in several Indian languages, Haasan's attempt to glorify Tamil language, especially in the presence of Kannada actor Shivaraj Kumar, reflects his arrogance and foolishness."
On Wednesday, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah criticised Kamal Haasan’s remarks, saying he was unaware of the “long-standing” history of the Kannada language.
“Kannada has a long-standing history. Poor Kamal Haasan, he is unaware of it,” Siddaramaiah said.
Responding to a series of political outbursts in Karnataka, Haasan recalled in Thiruvananthapuram the diversity Tamil Nadu has seen over the years in the form of multiple chief ministers from different linguistic backgrounds, including the late J Jayalalithaa, who hailed from Mandya in Karnataka.
