Shivarajkumar Defends Kamal Haasan In Kannada Language Row Amid Thug Life Ban In Karnataka, Says 'I Shouldn't Tell Him To Apologise'

There is an ongoing controversy over Kamal Haasan claiming at an event that ‘Kannada was born out of Tamil’. The veteran Kollywood star has been prepping for the release of his much awaited film Thug Life, directed by Mani ratnam, but even as the prmotional events are in full swing, its release has been objected to many groups in Karnataka, who have been offended by Haasan's comment and are further irked by his non-apologetic stance in the matter.

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While Haasan spoke at Thug Life event, Kannada star Shivarajkumar was also in attendance. Netizens speculated that when Haasan made controversial remarks about the Kannada identity, Shivarajkumar lauded him from the audience. Clarifying on this, Shivarajkumar shared, “All the languages are important to us. But when it comes to the mother tongue, Kannada is the first priority, there’s no doubt about that. I’ve said this before, I can give my life for Kannada. I should not tell that (Kamal Haasan must apologise). He is a senior actor, and I am the biggest fan of him. At the event, I did not understand what was going on. But they’re showing clippings as if I’m clapping for that. I was clapping because he told, he was my chithappa (uncle).”

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Haasan's "anti-Kannada" remarks have led to several protests by the pro-Kannada organisations and the ban by the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) over the release of the movie Thug Life in the state. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah criticised Haasan for his reported remark about the Kannada language, stating that he was not aware of the "long-standing" history of the language.

A KFCC representative said that Haasan has not yet issued an apology for hurting the sentiments of the Kannada people during his promotional event in Chennai. "Definitely, there is no 'Sorry' term being specified anywhere by Kamal Hassan. We will surely not release the film. We (KFCC) will stand with Rakshina Vedike and other Kannada organisations," they shared. Thug Life, directed by Mani Ratnam, also stars Trisha Krishnan, Silambarasan TR and Sanya Malhotra in lead roles. It will release on June 5.