'Uncultured Behaviour': BJP Demands Apology After Kamal Hassan's 'Kannada' Remark Sparks Row
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BJP leaders in Karnataka demanded an unconditional apology from Kamal Hassan after the actor made controversial remarks linking the origins of the Kannada language to Tamil.
South superstar Kamal Hassan sparked a major controversy by linking the origins of the Kannada language to Tamil, triggering backlash from pro-Kannada groups in Karnataka. BJP leaders in Karnataka have demanded an apology.
While addressing the crowd during a promotion event at the Thug Life audio launch in Chennai, Hassan began his speech with the phrase 'Uyire Urave Tamizhe," meaning 'my life and my family is Tamil language."
'You are my family that is residing in Karnataka, and hence, you came all the way here. When I started the speech, I said that my life and my family are Tamil. Your language was born out of Tamil, and hence you are part of it," said Hassan, referring to Kannada actor Shivarajakumar.
'Uncultured Behaviour, Arrogant'
The comments did not sit well with pro-Kannada groups, who said Hassan's remarks were an insult to the Kannada language and culture and threatened the actor with dire consequences.
Karnataka BJP chief BY Vijayendra accused Hassan of 'uncultured behaviour" and 'arrogance", demanding an unconditional apology.
'One should love one's mother tongue, but showing disrespect in its name is uncultured behaviour. Especially artists should have a culture of respecting every language. It is the height of arrogance and 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," he said on X.
Vijayendra said Hassan had forgotten the generosity of Kannada people and revealed his ungrateful personality by hurting the sentiments of 6.5 crore Kannadigas. 'Kamal Haasan is not a historian to define which language gave birth to which language," he added.
BJP leader Basanagouda R Patil said Hassan had 'lost his sense of humour" by making a 'rash" statement about Kannada. 'It is not appropriate to make such a statement for the sake of propaganda. Kamal Haasan, who himself has acted in many Kannada films, should immediately retract his statement and apologise unconditionally," he said.
ತಮಿಳಿನಿಂದಲೇ ಕನ್ನಡ ಹುಟ್ಟಿದ್ದು ಎಂದು ಓತಪ್ರೋತವಾಗಿ ಹೇಳಿಕೆ ನೀಡಿರುವ ಕಮಲ್ ಹಾಸನ್ ಅವರು ತಮ್ಮ ಸ್ಥಿತಪ್ರಜ್ಞತೆ ಕಳೆದುಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ.ಖೊಟ್ಟಿ ಪ್ರಚಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಈ ರೀತಿ ಹೇಳಿಕೆ ಕೊಡುವುದು ಸಮಂಜಸವಲ್ಲ.
ಸ್ವತಃ, ಅನೇಕ ಕನ್ನಡ ಚಿತ್ರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನಟಿಸಿರುವ ಕಮಲ್ ಹಾಸನ್ ಕೂಡಲೇ ತಮ್ಮ ಹೇಳಿಕೆಯನ್ನು ವಾಪಾಸ್ ಪಡೆದು ಬೇಷರತ್ ಕ್ಷಮೆಯಾಚಿಸಬೇಕು.…
— Basanagouda R Patil (Yatnal) (@BasanagoudaBJP) May 27, 2025
'All Are Ancient Languages'
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagenthiran downplayed the controversy, stating that all languages originate from ancient India.
'If we start researching this, it will be like the age-old question of whether the chicken came from the egg or the egg from the chicken," he told reporters, adding that there will always be differences of opinion when it comes to languages.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad said Kannada and Tamil are ancient languages and part of India's foundation, and the debate surrounding Hassan's remarks was not suitable for the current atmosphere, even though he called the comment 'unfortunate".
First Published:
May 28, 2025, 12:39 IST
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