During the audio launch of his upcoming film ‘Thug Life’ in Chennai, Kamal Haasan claimed that “Tamil gave birth to Kannada.”
After sparking a language controversy across South Indian states with his remark that “Kannada is born out of Tamil,” actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan on Wednesday clarified that his statement was made “out of love” and said that politicians are not qualified to speak on language matters and that such discussions should be left to experts and linguists.
Speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) president said, “What I said was out of love, and a lot of historians have taught me language history. I didn’t mean anything.”
‘Politicians are not qualified to talk about language’
Haasan pointed out that leaders from various linguistic and regional backgrounds have served as the state’s Chief Ministers and said, “Tamil Nadu is a state where a Menon (MG Ramachandran) has been our Chief Minister, where a Reddy (Omandur Ramasamy Reddiyar) has been our Chief Minister, a Tamil (M Karunanidhi) has been our CM, and a Kannadiga Iyengar (J Jayalalithaa) has been our CM.”
“Politicians are not qualified to talk about language. They don’t have the qualifications to talk about it, including me. Let us leave all these very in-depth discussions to historians, archaeologists and language experts,” he added.
Haasan, during the audio launch of his upcoming film ‘Thug Life’ in Chennai, claimed that ‘Tamil gave birth to Kannada”.
‘Poor Kamal Haasan is unaware of Karnataka’s history’: Siddaramaiah
Earlier, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah slammed actor Kamal Haasan following his reported remark, ‘Kannada is born out of Tamil, and said that he was unaware of the language’s “long-standing” history.
“Kannada language has a very long history… poor Kamal Haasan is unaware of it,” Siddaramaiah told reporters while speaking in Kannada.
Haasan’s comment triggered strong reactions from several pro-Kannada organisations, which held protests in various cities including Belagavi, Mysuru, Hubballi and Bengaluru.
The demonstrators condemned the actor-politician’s remarks and demanded a public apology to the people of Karnataka. They also warned that they would block the screening of his film ‘Thug Life’ in the state if he failed to apologise.
Meanwhile, Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra also criticised Haasan, accusing him of insulting Kannada while trying to glorify his own language. He urged Haasan to offer an unconditional apology to Kannadigas without delay.
(With ANI inputs)
Also Read: ‘Poor Kamal Haasan is unaware of Karnataka’s history’: Siddaramaiah slams actor over language remark
Also Read: Kamal Haasan under fire for saying ‘Kannada born out of Tamil’ at film event in Chennai
