Kamal Haasan's Thug Life has been creating a national buzz ever since its first look poster release last year. With the Mani Ratnam directorial all set to hit the screens on June 10, the film has now landed in the soup. During the audio launch of the film, Haasan stated that "Kannada was born out of Tamil," hinting at the shared linguistic heritage of the languages. He began his speech with "Uyire Urave Tamizhe" ("My life and my family is Tamil") in the presence of Kannada actor Shivarajkumar.
"Actor Shivarajkumar is my family living in another state. That's why he is here. That's why when I said 'my life and my family is Tamil'. Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil. So you are included in that line," he began his speech.
The statement has drawn sharp criticism from various quarters in Karnataka. The state BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra condemned Haasan's remarks as "uncultured" and accused him of disrespecting the Kannada language in an attempt to glorify Tamil. He emphasized that artists should respect all languages and demanded an apology from Haasan.
"Artists should embody the culture of respecting all languages, It is appalling that Kamal Haasan, who has worked in several Indian languages including Kannada, has now insulted Kannada," he wrote on X.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also pitched in, suggesting that Haasan is "unaware of Kannada's long-standing history," highlighting the rich and distinct heritage of the language.
"Kannada has a long-standing history. Poor Kamal Haasan, he is unaware of it," he responded to his statement.
BJP leader R. Ashoka called him a "mental patient" for insulting the cultural identity of the Kannada language. "I would urge the government that it should boycott all Kamal Haasan's films in Karnataka, otherwise he will keep acting like a mental patient," he said.
Pro-Kannada groups, including the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, have reacted strongly, with some activists vandalizing Thug Life posters and calling for a ban on the film's release in Karnataka unless Haasan issues a public apology. "You want to do business in Karnataka, yet you insult our language," Praveen Shetty, president of the group, criticized the actor.
Interestingly, Kamal Haasan is all set to enter the Rajya Sabha as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has allocated one of its seats to Haasan's party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM).
