Bengaluru, 28 May

Pro-Kannada groups in Karnataka went up in arms against actor Kamal Haasan on Wednesday for his "Tamil gave birth to Kannada" remarks, with a police complaint filed against him.

The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) is set to meet on Thursday to discuss possible ban on the star ahead of his upcoming release ‘Thug Life’, directed by Mani Ratnam.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said Kannada has a rich and ancient history, and Haasan is “unaware” of it. State BJP President BY Vijayendra accused Haasan of “disrespecting” Kannada.

Pro-Kannada outfits protested against him in Belagavi, Mysuru Hubballi and Bengaluru.

Activists argued that Kannada boasts a history spanning thousands of years and accused Haasan of fuelling linguistic tensions. The agitators demanded that he apologise to the people of the state. They have even threatened to obstruct screening of his film ‘Thug Life’ in the state, if he fails to issue an apology.

Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, a pro-Kannada organisation, lodged a complaint at RT Nagar police station.

In the complaint, the outfit alleged that the "controversial statement" made by the actor has not only hurt the sentiments of Kannadigas, but it has also sown seeds of poison between Kannadigas and Tamils and has insulted the former.

"Every time a new Tamil movie is released, they have been constantly hurting the self-respect of Kannadigas. Such statements have been made continuously and have further disrupted peace and order between Kannadigas and Tamils," the complaint further alleged.

"We have received a complaint. But no FIR has been registered yet," a senior police officer said.