Kamal Haasan’s assertion that “Tamil gave birth to Kannada” has sparked a rare consensus between rival political parties, Congress and BJP, who have jointly condemned the veteran actor and politician. Central to this controversy is a longstanding cultural fault line: language as a core marker of identity. In South India, where linguistic pride is deeply entrenched, even the slightest perceived affront can swiftly escalate into widespread protests.
During the audio launch of his forthcoming film, Thug Life, held in Chennai, Kamal Haasan eloquently articulated his enduring connection with the Tamil language, commencing his address with the poignant declaration: “Uyire Urave Tamizhe (My life and my family is Tamil).” Turning to Kannada actor Shivarajkumar, who shared the dais with him, Haasan remarked with warmth and inclusivity, “Actor Shivarajkumar is my family living in another state… Your language was born out of Tamil. So, you are included in that line.”
What was ostensibly intended as a gesture of cultural solidarity swiftly provoked widespread indignation. Within mere hours, the pro-Kannada organisation Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) vehemently condemned Haasan, accusing him of disparaging the Kannada language and issuing threats of reprisal directed both at the actor and his forthcoming film.
According to Praveen Shetty, President of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (Praveen Shetty faction), the actor had left the venue before the members of his organisation could confront him. “Today we are giving a strong warning to him. You want to do business in Karnataka and show your movies, stop insulting Kannada and Kannadigas.”
“You were here to promote a movie, but departed even before the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike reached there to blacken your face,” he said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
How Did BJP React to Kamal Haasan?
Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra said on Tuesday accused actor Kamal Haasan of “disrespecting” Kannada in his effort to glorify his own mother tongue.
The BJP leader also demanded that the actor issue an “unconditional apology to Kannadigas immediately”.
“Kamal Haasan, who supposedly brings harmony to South India, has been continuously insulting Hinduism and hurting religious sentiments for the past few years. Now, he has insulted Kannada by hurting the self-respect of 6.5 crore Kannadigas. Kamal Haasan should immediately apologise unconditionally to Kannadigas,” wrote the BJP chief. Vijayendra also said Haasan is not a historian to tell with authority which language gave birth to which language.
BJP leader R Ashoka called Kamal Haasan a “mental patient”.
“I would urge the government that it should boycott all Kamal Haasan’s films in Karnataka, otherwise he will keep acting like a mental patient,” Ashoka said.
What Did Congress Say on Kamal Haasan?
According to an India Today report, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also chimed in on Kamal Haasan’s language remark row nad said, “Kannada has a long-standing history. Poor Kamal Haasan, he is unaware of it”.
Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad called Haasan’s remarks “unwarranted and unnecessary” and added, “Kamal is no authority to make statements on Kannada and Tamil.”
Rizwan Arshad added, “His statement is unnecessarily creating differences amongst Kannadigas and Tamilians, which is unfortunate and which should not happen.”
Origin of Tamil and Kannada Languages
What rendered Kamal Haasan’s assertions regarding linguistic origins particularly politically charged was the shared Dravidian heritage of both Tamil and Kannada—two languages with deeply entrenched and distinct literary traditions.
Scholarly consensus within mainstream linguistics posits that Tamil and Kannada constitute principal branches of the Dravidian language family, each having evolved independently from a common proto-language, commonly referred to as Proto-Dravidian.
Indeed, the etymological lineage of Kannada can be traced back to this Proto-Dravidian root, alongside other prominent Dravidian tongues such as Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam.
