'Are you a historian?': Karnataka HC slams Kamal Haasan over Kannada-Tamil remark; says Jala, Nela, Bashe are sacred to people

Time of India

03-06-2025

The
Karnataka High Court
on Tuesday strongly criticised actor and filmmaker
Kamal Haasan
for his recent remark suggesting that "Kannada was born out of Tamil." The court said that the comment had hurt the feelings of many people in
Karnataka
and asked why Haasan could not simply apologise.
Justice M Nagaprasanna
, who was hearing the case, said that language is a deep part of a person's cultural and emotional identity. He questioned Haasan's right to make such a claim, asking, 'Are you a historian or a linguist to make such a statement? No language is born from another. One simple apology could have sorted out the matter.'
Haasan made the comment at a promotional event in Chennai for his upcoming Tamil film Thug Life. The statement led to backlash in Karnataka. The
Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce
(KFCC) later said the movie would not be shown in the state unless Haasan apologised.
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In response, Haasan's production company,
Raajkamal Films International
, went to the High Court seeking protection for the film's release.
Justice Nagaprasanna reminded everyone that things like water, land, and language, 'Jala, Nela, Bashe', are very important to people. He said the country's states were also created based on language. 'No citizen has the right to hurt people's sentiments,' the judge added.
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The court also pointed out that even C Rajagopalachari had once made a similar statement, but he later apologised. 'If Rajagopalachari could apologise 75 years ago, why can't you? You're asking the court for police protection for a problem you created,' the judge said.
The production company claimed Haasan's words were taken out of context and were not meant to upset anyone. They also said Kannada actor
Shiva Rajkumar
, who was present at the event, supported Haasan and confirmed that the actor has always respected Karnataka and its people.
Senior Advocate Dhyan Chinnappa, representing the film company, told the court that Haasan's remark wasn't "drastically wrong" and asked that the film be allowed to release without issues.
The film team also asked for protection from the government to ensure safety for the cast, crew, cinema halls, and viewers.
But the judge criticised the attitude of the filmmakers. 'You want to earn crores from Karnataka but won't apologise? Even ordinary citizens get punished for such comments. What makes you different?' he asked.
While saying the court would pass an order according to law, Justice Nagaprasanna still advised Haasan to think about offering an apology to calm the situation. The hearing was postponed till 2.30 pm.
'You've created unrest with your comment. Think about it. If you still stand by your words, we'll pass an order accordingly,' the judge said.
Inputs from PTI