Bengaluru Court Restrains Kamal Haasan Over Alleged Anti-Kannada Remarks

Kamal Haasan is now legally restricted from making potentially defamatory statements against the Kannada language. This ruling comes after a controversy sparked by comments he made during a promotional event for his film, Thug Life, last month.

The Bengaluru civil court issued an ex parte interim injunction, preventing the actor from making any further remarks perceived as disparaging towards Kannada language and culture.

The ruling was issued on Friday by an Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge after Mahesh Joshi, President of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP), filed a civil suit. The petition sought to legally restrain Kamal Haasan from making any "defamatory remarks" regarding the language and its cultural origins.

The court order specifically prohibits Kamal Haasan from “posting, making, writing, or publishing any statement or remarks claiming linguistic superiority over the Kannada language or making any statements against the Kannada language, literature, land, and culture.”

The court has summoned the actor to appear in person for the next hearing, scheduled for August 30.

The Origin of the Controversy

The controversy stems from Kamal Haasan's comparison of Tamil and Kannada during a promotional event for Thug Life in Bengaluru in May. His statement that "Kannada was born out of Tamil" angered Kannada activists and cultural organizations. The situation escalated when Haasan refused to retract his statement or issue an apology. As a result, Thug Life did not release in Karnataka, despite efforts from the production house and Kamal Haasan to appeal to the High Court.

About Thug Life

Thug Life, directed by Mani Ratnam, features Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, and other prominent actors. Despite its star-studded cast, the film has reportedly underperformed at the box office.