'Will blacken face...': Kamal Haasan faces criticism after his 'Kannada born out of Tamil' remark, Kannadigas say 'ban him'

Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan recently found himself at the center of a controversy after a remark he made about the Kannada language during an event in Chennai.

Speaking at the audio launch of his upcoming film Thug Life, Haasan said, “My life and my family is Tamil language. Actor Shivarajkumar is my family living in another state. That’s why he is here. That’s why when I started my speech, I said ‘my life and my family is Tamil’. Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil. So you are included in that line.”

His comment, particularly the part where he said that Kannada “was born out of” Tamil, upset many in Karnataka. Several people strongly objected to the statement and even threatened to blacken the actor’s face and boycott him in the state. The remark has since sparked a debate, with some demanding an apology while others are defending Haasan's words as being taken out of context.

Kannada actor Shivarajkumar was present at the event and appeared to cheer for Kamal Haasan during his speech. He didn’t seem bothered by the remark. However, many people in Karnataka were deeply offended by Haasan’s statement. The backlash was strong, with some even threatening serious consequences against the actor for saying that Kannada was “born out of” Tamil.

Kamal Haasan says Kannada came from Tamil

Hello @ikamalhaasan before making such claims, learn some real history. This land doesn’t need language lessons from Periyar fanatics

Kannada has a history spanning over 2,000 years, one of the world’s oldest living languages, with… pic.twitter.com/BQFUloI0Sg

— Akshay Akki  (@FollowAkshay1) May 27, 2025

Protests broke out in Bengaluru and several other parts of Karnataka on Tuesday against Kamal Haasan. Pro-Kannada activists were seen tearing down posters of his upcoming film Thug Life, expressing anger over his remark about the Kannada language.

Kannada Rakshana Vedike leader Praveen Shetty stated, "We are warning Kamal, you need business in Karnataka? And yet insulting Kannada. Today you were here in the state and we were ready to apply black ink to you and you’ve run away. We warn you, if you talk against Karnataka and people of state, there’ll be protests against you. We warn you, your movie will be banned in Karnataka."

Several activists claimed that Kamal Haasan was expected to visit Bengaluru to promote Thug Life. They said they had gathered with black ink to smear his face in protest. However, Haasan reportedly skipped the event due to the backlash and ongoing protests.