"Can't Unscramble Scrambled Eggs": Court Raps Kamal Haasan In Kannada Row
Bengaluru:
The Karnataka High Court has warned Tamil Nadu actor-politician Kamal Haasan against misusing his right to free speech to hurt people's sentiments, and called on him to withdraw the remark - that the Kannada language was "born out of Tamil" - at the centre of a fierce row.
"You are not an ordinary man," the court said of the 70-year-old superstar, who is expected to become a Rajya Sabha MP this month with support from Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK.
"You have a right to speech... but not to hurt sentiments. The fundamental right of (free) speech and expression cannot be given to an extent that it hurts the sentiments of the masses. We are leaving this to you now... apologise if you have hurt anyone," the court said, referring also to potential revenue from Kamal Haasan's new film, 'Thug Life', which premieres Thursday.
"In this case you made a statement. Withdraw that statement... that is all. Crores can be earned from Karnataka... but if you don't need the people (of Kannada) then leave the revenue..."
"But we will not permit anyone to take public sentiments for a ride... when mistakes happen you should say, 'It is in this context I spoke (but) if it has hurt anyone I apologise'," the court said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Deccan Herald
20 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
CM Siddaramaiah's Additional Chief Secretary L K Atheeq resigns, Anjum Parwez replaces him
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's Additional Chief Secretary Luthfulla Khan Atheeq resigned from his position on Wednesday. .1994-batch IAS officer Anjum Parwez, who is currently the additional chief secretary at the rural development & panchayat raj (RDPR) department, was appointed as Atheeq's replacement in the chief minister's office. .Atheeq will continue to hold the position of chairperson at the Bengaluru Business Corridor (BBC) Ltd, a special purpose vehicle implementing what was earlier known as the Peripheral Ring Road project. .HMT land row: Govt suspends IFS officer, cites violation of service considered as Siddaramaiah's consigliere in the administration, Atheeq decided to resign to spend time with his family before returning to public life in some form. There is speculation that the ruling Congress may pick Atheeq for a Rajya Sabha role. .Atheeq wants to use this break to also focus on personal hobbies like motorcycling and poetry. .Atheeq has translated Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz's poems into Kannada. He also translated Kuvempu's poem Aniketana from Kannada to English. As a biker, Atheeq is seen riding his Triumph Bonneville Bobber. And, for a brief while, he rode a 1942-made BSA motorcycle, the one used in the iconic Bollywood film Sholay, thanks to his friend who lent it. .A 1991-batch IAS officer, Atheeq superannuated on January 31 this year as the chief minister's additional chief secretary. However, Siddaramaiah retained Atheeq as his additional chief secretary on contract basis, making it an unprecedented appointment.
Hindustan Times
31 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
200 Oppn MPs to write to Modi for spl Parliament session on Pahalgam attack, Op Sindoor
New Delhi: More than 200 Opposition lawmakers from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are set to write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demand a special session of Parliament to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. The move comes after 20 top-ranking leaders including two Leaders of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Trinamool's Abhishek Banerjee wrote to PM seeking a special session. The government, however, has indicated it will not have a special session. Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju announced that the monsoon session will start from July 21 and end on August 12. Lok Sabha authorities told HT that there is no intimation for any special session. Reacting to the government's announcement, Trinamool Congress's Derek O'Brien said, 'TMC has studied the past announcements, and usually the session is announced around 19 days ahead of the date of commencement. This time, they announced it 47 days ahead. So scared! If they can announce the Monsoon Session, why not a Special Session in June.' Functionaries said what the demand for a special session has also renewed the channel of communications between Gandhi and Banerjee. A top functionary said that Gandhi spoke to Banerjee, who is abroad on the delegation and discussed the importance of a joint approach to demand a joint session. Even as TMC is not a poll ally of the Congress, the discussions between the two top-ranking leaders can lead to greater cooperation between the two sides in the upcoming session.
New Indian Express
44 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Conflicting words: Bengalureans opine on actor Kamal Haasan's language remark
This controversy seems more like a politically-motivated stunt orchestrated by certain parties in Karnataka. Kamal Haasan has made immense contributions to Indian cinema – not just to Tamil cinema, he has seen himself as an Indian artiste. In fact, Mani Ratnam's first film was in Kannada, Pallavi Anu Pallavi (1983) and both he and Haasan have consistently expressed their love and respect for the Kannada language and its people. This controversy appears to be a deliberate attempt by some politicians to create unnecessary division. He absolutely does not need to apologise for a misunderstanding. Haasan has already clarified his intention and statement — an apology is unnecessary. Yes, there may be financial losses in crores, but he has taken a principled stance, and that's a risk he is willing to take. This controversy is likely to backfire — it's a significant loss for the Karnataka theatre associations. Moreover, it could strain the relationship between the Tamil and Kannada film industries.
