The court docket expressed dissatisfaction with the actor-filmmaker’s refusal to apologise and questioned the absence of a easy gesture that might have defused the state of affairs. (PTI)
It got here after the excessive court docket strongly criticised Haasan for his remarks suggesting that “Kannada was born out of Tamil”, saying he is likely to be a giant star however he had no proper to harm the emotions of the folks of Karnataka. The court docket noticed {that a} “single apology could have resolved the situation”.
Haasan’s counsel, senior advocate Dhyan Chinappa, knowledgeable a bench of justice M Nagaprasanna that the actor and his manufacturing firm, Raajkamal Films International, had determined to withhold the movie’s launch within the southern state a minimum of till they interact in a “dialogue” with the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC), which has demanded an apology and barred the movie’s screening within the state.
Chinappa argued that Haasan’s written assertion submitted to the KFCC earlier within the day conveying his love and respect for the Kannada language and its folks was a honest and ample response to the controversy. Haasan shouldn’t be compelled to apologise in a prescribed format, he added.
“Apology is required only if there is malice, and there is no malice here,” Chinappa submitted, including that Haasan’s feedback, made through the audio launch of Thug Life in Chennai on May 24, weren’t supposed to undermine Kannada or its audio system and had been expressed in a spirit of goodwill.
“He has expressed nothing but affection and admiration for the language and the state,” the counsel added.
The court docket, nevertheless, expressed dissatisfaction with the actor-filmmaker’s refusal to apologise and questioned the absence of a easy gesture that might have defused the state of affairs. “Discretion is the better part of valour,” justice Nagaprasanna remarked, quoting Shakespeare, and urged the actor to indicate humility.
“You are not an ordinary man. You are a public figure. You create a circumstance, you cause unrest, and now you want protection from the state machinery. This entire situation could have been solved with a simple apology,” the choose stated, whereas listening to the plea filed by the producers of the film, in search of safety to make sure the graceful launch of the movie within the state.
The single-judge bench seen the video of Haasan’s assertion and requested why he was resisting an apology when he knew his remarks had “undermined en masse” the emotions of the folks of Karnataka. “You might be Kamal Haasan or anybody, but you cannot hurt the sentiments of the masses,” the court docket noticed. “In a country where language is an emotional issue, a public figure cannot make such sweeping statements. There is unrest and disharmony today because of what you said.”
Justice Nagaprasanna additionally criticised the tone of the actor’s written assertion to KFCC, saying it learn like a “declaration of justification” moderately than a real try and heal the state of affairs. The choose additional stated that the final Governor General of India, C Rajagopalachari, remarked in 1950 that Kannada was born out of Tamil, however later apologised after being corrected by Kannada writers.
“This is not an apology. There is not even a line that says, ‘If I have hurt anyone’s sentiments, I apologise.’ Even C Rajagopalachari made a similar remark 75 years ago and later apologised,” Justice Nagaprasanna stated.
The court docket posted the matter for additional listening to on June 10.
During the listening to, Haasan’s counsel argued that blocking the movie’s launch infringed on the rights of those that needed to observe it. However, the court docket pushed again, saying fame can’t protect one from accountability. “You want police protection, but are unwilling to utter one word that could calm the unrest. You are sticking to your stand because of your ego,” the choose remarked.
The matter additionally took political color, with Haasan’s counsel hinting that the opposition to his movie’s launch was being completed most likely as a result of there was some assist from the Karnataka authorities.
Besides a number of Kannada teams which have been holding protests in a number of elements of the state demanding Haasan’s apology, Karnataka minister for Kannada and tradition Shivaraj Tangadagi on May 29 wrote to KFCC, urging that each one movies that includes Haasan be banned within the state if he didn’t apologise. “Despite the actor’s stature, the people of Karnataka cannot tolerate his remarks on their land, water, and language,” Tangadagi stated.
In the excessive court docket, Chinappa cited a precedent from 2018 involving actor Rajinikanth, who had made remarks in regards to the Cauvery water dispute earlier than the discharge of his movie, Kaala. When the court docket identified that Rajinikanth had apologised, Haasan’s lawyer stated it got here after the Tamil actor had been granted interim safety.
The senior advocate additionally made a plea for cultural unity, saying: “All of us have to survive here. Linguistically we may be different, but we are all the same. We are all Indians.”
Acknowledging the sentiment, the court docket underlined the significance of selecting phrases correctly. “There are many ways to clarify a mistake. But there is only one way to apologise,” the choose stated.
In its order, the court docket issued notices to the state authorities and the KFCC and stuck the following listening to for June 10.
Reacting to the event, Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar stated Haasan ought to instantly apologise for his feedback. “If Kamal Haasan has made a mistake, he should apologise. The court will take necessary action,” he informed reporters.
Slamming the actor for “speaking insensitively” in regards to the Kannada language, veteran BJP chief BS Yediyurappa stated that he should respectfully apologise to Kannada and Kannadigas.
“His behaviour, which unnecessarily disrupts peace, harmony, and unity, is not right. In the fervour of expressing his opinion, he has hurt the sentiments of crores of Kannadigas, and he must respectfully apologise to Kannada and Kannadigas. Apologising does not make anyone smaller, nor does arrogance make anyone greater!,” he wrote on X.
