Shiva Rajkumar Defends Kannada, Diverts Blame to Kamal Haasan in Thug Life Controversy

The upcoming movie Thug Life, starring Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam, has garnered negative attention in the past week. Kamal Haasan's remarks at the audio launch of the film were the starting point for a hotbed of controversies that followed. Thanking Shiva Rajkumar for taking the time to attend the Thug Life event in Chennai, Kamal said that since Kannada originated from Tamil, Shiva Rajkumar will also be Tamil Nadu's own son.

Now, these comments didn't sit right with Karnataka Rakshana Vedhike, who decided to boycott Thug Life. What followed was an internet-driven movement where people declared that all Kamal Haasan's films would forever be banned in Karnataka unless the actor apologized.

Responding to threats, Kamal Haasan declared that he will not apologize for something he said out of love for Shiva Rajkumar and that he has enough faith in Kannada people and how they have encouraged him throughout his career.

Alongside Kamal Haasan, Shiva Rajkumar also faced criticism. When questioned at a recent event about Kamal's statement, Shivanna retracted, stating that he doesn't agree with what the legendary Tamil actor said about his mother tongue, Kannada, and that Karnataka and Kannada always come first to him.

Upon further inquiry about his clapping response to Kamal's statement, Shiva Rajkumar clarified that it was a result of editing. Shivanna clarified that he didn't clap to Kamal's comments on Kannada, as he didn't understand what the Tamil actor meant in the first place. However, Shivanna stated that he cannot demand an apology from Kamal Haasan because of the love and respect he has for him, as well as his admiration for Kamal's acting.

Shiva Rajkumar appears to have attempted to appease the animosity directed towards him with this response, but Kamal Haasan's refusal to apologize leaves Thug Life's Karnataka fate uncertain.