‘Thug Life’ controversy: When C. Rajagopalchari had apologised for saying Kannada developed from Tamil, why can’t Kamal Haasan, asks Karnataka High Court-OxBig News Network

The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce and numerous pro-Kannada organisations have opposed the discharge of ‘Thug Life’ in Karnataka until actor Kamal Haasan isssues an apology.
| Photo Credit: Johan Sathya Das Jai

The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday (June 3, 2025) gave time until 2.30 p.m. to actor Kamal Haasan asking whether or not he needs to apologise for his statement that “Kannada is born out of Tamil” whereas stating that then Governor-General of India C. Rajagopalachari had apologised for making an analogous assertion within the Nineteen Fifties.

When individuals like Rajagopalacharari can apologise, why can’t Kamal Haasan, the Court requested the advocate representing Raajkamal Films International, which has sought police protection in Karnataka for the sleek launch of Mr. Haasan’s Tamil movie Thug Life because the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce and numerous pro-Kannada organisations have opposed its launch in Karnataka until the actor isssues an apology.

Situation of unrest

Justice M. Nagaprasanna posed this query to Senior Advocate Dhyan Chinnappa whilewhile asking if it wasn’t Mr. Haasan who had created a scenario of disharmony and unrest in Karnataka together with his assertion.

Mr. Haasan is without doubt one of the administrators of the petitioner-company. The petitioner-company was represented within the court docket by V. Narayana, one other director.

“You may be Kamal Haasan… but any citizen has no right to hurt sentiments of masses. There are three things people are very emotional to, that is Nela, Jala and Bhashe, (land, water and language)… All these three things are important to any citizens. You know division of this country is on linguistic lines. The states are formed on linguistic lines. So you [Mr. Haasan] know importance of language,” the Court noticed orally.

‘Is Mr. Haasan a historian?’

The Court additional noticed “a public figure like Mr. Haasan makes a public statement on public forum that a language is born out of another a language when no language can be born out of any other language… Where is the material to support it. And what has happened because of that statement is unrest, disharmony…. What did people of Karnataka ask? An apology. Now you have come up before the court seeking police protection for the circumstance created by you. Have people of Karnataka created this circumstance?”

When Court requested the advocate whether or not Mr. Haasan was a historian, the advocate mentioned that that the actor had already clarified that he was not a historian and that his assertion was taken out of context. To this, the Court requested on what foundation Mr. Haasan had made the controversial assertion .

Protection of business curiosity

Justice Nagaprasanna identified to Mr. Haasan’s advocate that Mr. Rajagopalachari, in response to a letter written by Kannada writers, had despatched an apology in writing for making an announcement that Kannada had developed out of Tamil.

“One apology [by Mr. Haasan] would have solved everything,” the Court mentioned whereas stating that Mr. Haasan is earlier than this Court to guard his business curiosity.