Makkal Needhi Maiam founder Kamal Haasan. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan on Wednesday (May 28, 2025) refused to apologise for his ‘Kannada came from Tamil’ comment, which he made while speaking to Shiva Rajkumar during the audio launch of Thug Life in Chennai recently.

Speaking at a promotional event for Thug Life in Kerala, Mr. Haasan said the comment was made ‘out of love’ and he would not apologise for it.

“What I said was out of love and what a lot of historians have taught me. Tamil Nadu is a place that is open. It is one of the very rare States where a Menon and a Reddy have been our Chief Minister. A Tamilian has been our Chief Minister. A Kannadiga Iyengar from Mandya has been our Chief Minister. The people will take care of Thug Life. Politicians are not qualified to talk about language, they do not have the education to talk about it and that includes me. Let us leave these in depth discussions to historians, archaeologists, and language experts. We are a family and so are the languages. This is not an answer but an explanation. Love will not apologise,” he said.

During the recent audio launch event, Mr. Haasan fondly remembered his association with Kannada cinema’s yesteryear superstar, Rajkumar, with Mr. Shiva Rajkumar, and made the comment about Kannada, which has since stoked controversy, with political parties in Karnataka demanding the actor apologise for his statements.

“When I was 21 years, Rajkumar anna would praise me for my performance. And every time I met him, he would praise me in front of others. When I made Raja Paarvai, he clapped for the first shot. He did the same for Pushpak, which was shot in Bangalore. This is my family that lives in Bangalore. When I began my speech, I said, ‘Uyire, Uravey, Tamizhey’. Your language came from Tamil…so you are also a part of it,” Mr. Haasan said.

Karnataka CM responds

The comment also drew the ire of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Mr. Siddaramaiah said the Kannada language had a very long history, and that the actor was not aware of it.