The Karnataka High Court came down heavily on Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan on Tuesday for his recent "Kannada is born out of Tamil" statement. Asking him to apologise to the Kannadigas, the HC said that the actor had the right to speech, but not the right to hurt sentiments.
As Haasan moved the HC on Monday to secure a release for his upcoming film, Thug Life, in Karnataka amid boycott threats, the court said that it will not "permit anyone to take public sentiments for a ride". "Why can't you apologise? Withdraw that statement... that is all. Crores can be earned from Karnataka... but if you don't need the people (of Kannada) then leave the revenue," the court said.
Criticising his comment, the court also asked, "Are you a historian? You have a right to speech... but not to hurt sentiments. The fundamental right of speech and expression cannot be given to an extent that it hurts the sentiments of the masses. We are leaving this to you now. Apologise if you have hurt anyone."
The HC hearing will resume at 2:30 pm on Tuesday.
While Kamal Haasan's Thug Life is set to release across India on June 5, pro-Kannada activists have threatened to ban the film from releasing in Karnataka if the actor failed to apologise for his statement. Haasan, on the other hand, has said multiple times that he would not apologise for his comment as it was a statement said "out of love".
"I will not apologise for something I said out of love. It is a democracy. I believe in law and justice. My love for Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala is true. Nobody will suspect it except for those who have an agenda," he stated.
Meanwhile, protests have erupted in Karnataka against Haasan, and in several cities, including Bengaluru, posters of Thug Life were torn down, as a mark of dissent.
