Kamal Haasan refuses to apologise amid Kannada row

Tamil actor Kamal Haasan says threats to boycott his film are not new and that he has been threatened in the past.

Chennai: Actor-politician Kamal Haasan, who stoked a controversy by his “Kannada was born out of Tamil remark,” on Friday yet again declined to apologise and said he believed in law and justice and his love for Karnataka was true.

He claimed that the alleged warning by pro-Kannada groups threatening to boycott his film if does not apologise for his remark, was not new and that he has been threatened in the past.

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“This is a democratic country. I believe in law and justice. I believe love will always triumph. My love for Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala is true. Nobody will suspect it except those who have an agenda. I have been threatened before. If I am wrong, I will apologise. If I am not, then I won’t,” Haasan told reporters outside Anna Arivalayam, the DMK state headquarters, here.

The 70-year-old leader, who heads the Makkal Needhi Maiam party, called on Chief Minister M K Stalin and said the meeting was related to preparatory work for the Rajya Sabha election. The DMK has given him a RS seat.

The veteran actor stoked a controversy during the audio launch event for his film ‘Thug Life‘ in Chennai, by remarking that Kannada was born out of Tamil. The Kannada Film Chamber of Commerce has threatened to ban his upcoming film if he did not tender an apology. His remark also drew sharp protest in Karnataka.