Tamil Nadu actors' body supports Kamal Haasan amid backlash from Karnataka
Chennai: The South Indian Artistes’ Association (SIAA), the main body for film, television, and stage actors in Tamil Nadu, has come out in support of veteran actor Kamal Haasan after his recent remarks on the Kannada language drew criticism in Karnataka.
According to The News Minute, the Karnataka Film Chamber has threatened to ban Haasan’s upcoming film Thug Life, which is set to release on June 5, 2025.
In a statement issued on Friday, May 30, the SIAA urged the Karnataka government, the Kannada film industry, and the people of the state to understand the true meaning behind Haasan’s words. The association warned that the ongoing campaign against the actor could create a “dark precedent” for cinema and public conversations.
Quoting the SIAA, The News Minute wrote, “To portray Kamal Haasan as anti-Kannada is entirely unacceptable.” The association said it was unfair to misrepresent someone like Haasan, who has always promoted unity beyond regional and language barriers.
“Kamal Haasan is a legendary artist who has transcended barriers of caste, religion, race, and language,” the statement read. “To question his integrity is to insult decades of cultural unity and artistic excellence,” the association said.
The SIAA also highlighted Haasan’s long-standing ties with Karnataka, mentioning his friendship with late Kannada superstar Dr Rajkumar and his bond with actor-playwright Girish Karnad. The statement recalled Haasan’s public appeal for Dr Rajkumar’s release when he was kidnapped by forest brigand Veerappan in 2000. “He has always considered Dr Rajkumar as a brother and holds Dr Shivarajkumar in the regard of a son,” the letter noted.
The controversy began during the audio launch of Thug Life, where Haasan said, “Tamil gave birth to Kannada.” This comment was criticised by pro-Kannada groups, who claimed it belittled the Kannada language and hurt the feelings of Kannadigas. Protests have broken out in different parts of Karnataka, with some activists threatening to stop the film’s release.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also responded to the issue. “Kannada has a long and well-documented history. Poor Kamal Haasan. He is simply unaware of it,” the Chief Minister said.
BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, R Ashoka, called Haasan a “mental patient” and accused him of insulting Kannada culture. “I urge the government to ban all Kamal Haasan films in Karnataka. If not, he will continue to behave like a mental patient,” he said. Ashoka also alleged that Haasan has a history of making hurtful remarks about Karnataka and the Kannada language.
Meanwhile, linguists have clarified that both Kannada and Tamil come from the Dravidian language family and share a common proto-Dravidian ancestor. Over centuries, both languages have grown in their own ways, forming unique cultural and literary traditions.
This controversy comes at a time when Kamal Haasan’s political party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), has recently secured a Rajya Sabha seat through its alliance with the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu.
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Trouble ‘Miyas’ everywhere only then they will leave Assam: Himanta Biswa Sarma
Says “Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP are openly against them, we are saying it openly
New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that four to five lakh “Miya voters” would be removed from the electoral rolls in the state once the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists is carried out. He also made a series of controversial remarks openly targeting the Miya community, a term commonly used in Assam in a derogatory sense to refer to Bengali-speaking Muslims.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an official programme in Digboi in Tinsukia district, Sarma said it was his responsibility to create difficulties for the Miya community and claimed that both he and the BJP were “directly against Miyas”.
“Four to five lakh Miya votes will have to be deleted in Assam when the SIR happens,” Sarma said, adding that such voters “should ideally not be allowed to vote in Assam, but in Bangladesh”. He asserted that the government was ensuring that they would not be able to vote in the state.
The chief minister was responding to questions about notices issued to thousands of Bengali-speaking Muslims during the claims and objections phase of the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls in Assam. While the Election Commission is conducting SIR exercises in 12 states and Union Territories, Assam is currently undergoing an SR, which is usually meant for routine updates.
Calling the current SR “preliminary”, Sarma said that a full-fledged SIR in Assam would lead to large-scale deletion of Miya voters. He said he was unconcerned about criticism from opposition parties over the issue.
“Let the Congress abuse me as much as they want. My job is to make the Miya people suffer,” Sarma said. He claimed that complaints filed against members of the community were done on his instructions and that he had encouraged BJP workers to keep filing complaints.
“I have told people wherever possible they should fill Form 7 so that they have to run around a little and are troubled,” he said, adding that such actions were meant to send a message that “the Assamese people are still living”.
In remarks that drew further outrage, Sarma urged people to trouble members of the Miya community in everyday life, claiming that “only if they face troubles will they leave Assam”. He also accused the media of sympathising with the community and warned journalists against such coverage.
“So you all should also trouble, and you should not do news that sympathise with them. There will be love jihad in your own house.” He said.
The comments triggered reactions from opposition leaders. Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi said the people of Assam had not elected Sarma to keep one community under constant pressure. Congress leader Aman Wadud accused the chief minister of rendering the Constitution meaningless in the state, saying his remarks showed a complete disregard for constitutional values.
According to the draft electoral rolls published on December 27, Assam currently has 2.51 crore voters. Election officials said 4.78 lakh names were marked as deceased, 5.23 lakh as having shifted, and 53,619 duplicate entries were removed during the revision process. Authorities also claimed that verification had been completed for over 61 lakh households.
On January 25, six opposition parties the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(M-L) submitted a memorandum to the state’s chief electoral officer. They alleged widespread legal violations, political interference and selective targeting of genuine voters during the SR exercise, describing it as arbitrary, unlawful and unconstitutional.
