Kamal Hasan on Hindi: Actor and politician Kamal Haasan has openly expressed his opinion against the forced imposition of Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states during the promotion of his new film ‘Thug Life’. He supported linguistic freedom in India, saying that learning global languages like English, Spanish or Chinese is much easier and practical.
He had said that Kannada language has come out of Tamil. Now his bayan has created a huge controversy in Karnataka. Due to this statement, the film ‘Thug Life’ could not be released there. Let’s know the full details of this news.
Kamal Haasan has clarified in his statements that efforts to force Hindi should be opposed. In an interview to PTI, he said, “I stand with Punjab, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It is not just a matter of Tamil Nadu, but is opposing imposing Hindi in the whole of India.”
He suggested that English is the most suitable language to make India a global competitor. He said, “We have a history of English education for 350 years. Suddenly, many people will be uneducated, especially in Tamil Nadu. You can also learn Spanish or Chinese, but English is the easiest way.”
Kamal also told that forcibly imposing Hindi affects job opportunities. “If you say that there will be no job without Hindi, then people will raise the question that what about my language? Is I not part of one of the 22 official languages?” Referring to his 1981 Hindi film ‘Ek Duje Ke for’, he said that he has been a part of Hindi cinema, but it is wrong to impose it.
In the promotional event of ‘Thug Life’, Kamal Haasan said, “Kannada language has come out of Tamil.” This statement created a huge controversy in Karnataka. The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) asked Kamal to apologize, but refused. As a result, the film ‘Thug Life’ could not be released in Karnataka.
Kamal’s production company Razkamal Films International had demanded security for the release of the film in the Karnataka High Court, but the court criticized his statement and apologized. The court had said, “You are Kamal Haasan or someone else, you cannot hurt people’s feelings.”
Kamal replied that if he feels that his statement is wrong, he is ready to apologize, but he indicated to maintain his stance.
This is not the first time Kamal Haasan has opposed the imposition of Hindi. In 2019, when Home Minister Amit Shah proposed to make Hindi a national language, Kamal said, “No Shah, Sultan or Emperor can break our promise to protect our language and culture.”
In 2022, he took part in the Congress’ India Yatra Yatra and said that Hindi should not be developed at the cost of other regional languages. Kamal Haasan believes that respect for linguistic freedom and cultural diversity is necessary.
