Thug Life Controversy: Kamal Haasan Refuses to Say Sorry About Comments on Kannada

Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan is gearing up for the release of his next film, Thug Life, directed by one of India's most prolific directors, Mani Ratnam. The two stalwarts had come together to create a movie that fans have been eagerly anticipating for nearly four decades, and it will be memorable for years to come.

Kamal has been actively involved in the promotions of the film, and the actor is not new to controversies. He had landed in trouble in the past by sharing opinions that could trigger a community or section of his audience. He has done the same, but this time, quite unknowingly.

At the audio launch of Thug Life, Kamal Haasan wanted to thank Shiva Rajkumar for attending the event and even singing a song for him. While saying what he means to him, Kamal went on to say that since Kannada originated from Tamil itself, he was also part of Tamil Nadu. Even though Kamal meant his words with love, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike didn't take this lightly and demanded an unconditional apology from the actor.

There was even a demand to ban all films featuring Kamal Haasan in Karnataka if he did not apologize. Responding to the same, Kamal Haasan said, "Shivanna and his father are very dear to me, and I said what I said owing to the love I have for those people. There is no other meaning attached to those words. The debate of language is very deep. Those who are trying to preach language lessons to me don't deserve to comment on languages and their history, including myself. For something I said out of love I have for that family, I will not apologize."

Kamal then went on to talk about the controversial challenges he faced during the release of Viswaroopam and how the whole of Karnataka stood by him and even wanted him to make Karnataka his native place and build a house. They even sent money from afar to take care of Kamal. Reminding the media of that gesture, Kamal expressed confidence that his upcoming film, Thug Life, will also be taken care of by the same people who stood by him when he was in trouble.

It remains to be seen if Kamal Haasan's clarification was enough to pacify the people who got triggered by his comments. With Thug Life's releaseund the corner, the legendary actor needs all states' audiences by his side to make that movie a pan-Indian blockbuster.

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— ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2025