The Indian Express
Baltimore Indian
Actor-politician Kamal Haasan's legal troubles over his controversial linguistic claims have escalated with the case being transferred to a Special Court for MPs/MLAs in Bengaluru. The controversy erupted in May 2025 when Haasan stated *"Kannada is born out of Tamil"* during a promotional event in Chennai.
The remark triggered widespread protests in Karnataka, with demands for an apology and boycott threats against his film. Haasan refused to apologize, initially defending his statement as affectionate and based on historians' views, before later clarifying that politicians should leave language origin debates to linguists.
The Karnataka High Court criticized Haasan's stance, noting that *"one apology could have solved everything"* and questioning whether he possessed credentials as a historian or linguist. The court emphasized that public figures have no right to hurt linguistic sentiments.
The case, originally filed in Kanakapura town court, was transferred following Haasan's election to the Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu and has been adjourned to July 22.
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