Will Kamal Haasan say a simple five-letter word? Or will his politician's hat come in the way?

New Indian Express

2 days ago

In the 1994 film Nammavar, an unruly student mob threatens to destroy college infrastructure if the Vice Principal doesn't apologise to a hooligan student. The VP, played by Kamal Haasan, tries to emulate Mark Antony's approach and work his way around apologising without actually expressing regret or saying the word 'Sorry'. However, he finally says the magic word and tells his supporters, "I have no qualms in apologising if the students can study without any worry, and violence and hooliganism can be averted."
Who would have thought that 31 years later life would imitate art, with a state's linguistic groups, senior politicians, cinema associations, and High Court asking Kamal Haasan to tender an unconditional apology? That is exactly how events have played out after his speech at the Thug Life event in Chennai became a contentious issue in Karnataka. In the speech, he said, "The language of Kannada was born out of Tamil." And thus was born the controversy that has made headlines. On this occasion though, he has his qualms.
This isn't the first time external factors have affected a Kamal Haasan film. Back in 2013, he faced his biggest setback ahead of the release of Vishwaroopam. The film, which was cleared by the censors, didn't get the clearance from the Tamil Nadu government. Voices for a re-censoring and even a ban grew louder among Muslim groups in the state, alleging that Vishwaroopam had scenes that would harm religious sentiments.
Kamal Haasan went to court after the district collectors issued orders to the theatre owners not to screen the film, citing a potential law and order fallout. When he organised a press meet and said such situations make him think of leaving the country for good and ply his wares in another country where artistic freedom is respected, scores of people thronged his residence in solidarity. It wasn't just his Tamil fans that turned up that day. It was people in whom his art resonated, and that group isn't restricted to just his fans in Tamil Nadu.
Nevertheless, it took almost two weeks of to-and-fro between various stakeholders before the film finally hit the screens in Tamil Nadu after its initial release across the world. Kamal Haasan decided to mute five scenes to accommodate its smooth release. And one of the states that offered him and Vishwaroopam temporary solace was Karnataka, where the film ran for a day before the police advised the theatre owners to take down the film. Nevertheless, Karnataka did give him a day of support and solidarity.
But in 2025, that wasn't the case with Thug Life. The state isn't budging, and neither is Kamal Haasan, and the situation is at an impasse. Linguistic politics is a strong issue in both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, and the situation has reached a place where both cannot pull back their punches.
While Kamal Haasan is an actor and a filmmaker par excellence, it is important to note that he is an active politician, who is also on the way to the Rajya Sabha with a ticket given to him by his ally, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which is heading the TN government. Can Kamal Haasan backtrack from his statement that Kannada originated from Tamil? Will his apology be construed as acceptance of the argument that both Kannada and Tamil are sister languages?
Incidentally, even before the Chennai event where all hell broke loose, Kamal and the Thug Life team were in Bengaluru, where he spoke about his love for Annavaru Dr Rajkumar, the love from his Kannada fans, and how he has lakhs of homes in Karnataka where he is seen as one of their own. But will Karnataka understand its adopted son's steadfast approach? Does Kamal only think of Thug Life or his life after Thug Life?
However, the calls for apologies are ringing louder with every passing day. Theatre owners in Karnataka hope things get sorted out because the film has the potential to be a huge pay day for them. At a time when theatres are shutting down, especially the single-screen ones, all it takes is one big financial loss to change things. Kamal Haasan can cut his losses, but can everyone else?
Will the director and Thug Life co-producer Mani Ratnam, who made his directorial debut in Kannada with Pallavi Anu Pallavi, be okay with the film not finding its way into Karnataka theatres? Will this become a state vs state issue? Will it be a one-off? Will things become alright after the June 10 hearing? And most importantly, will Kamal Haasan stop sending long-winded press notes, and just say the simple five-letter word?
Well, as Sakthivel Nayakkar, the protagonist of Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan's seminal film, Nayakan, succinctly said, 'Theriyalaye pa…'