Bengaluru Court Gag Order Silences Kamal Haasan on Kannada Language Controversy

Kamal Haasan is now legally barred from making further statements perceived as defamatory against the Kannada language and culture. This ruling comes after a controversy erupted last month when the actor commented on the origins of the Kannada language during a promotional event for his film, Thug Life. The film subsequently faced a ban in Bengaluru.

A civil court in Bengaluru issued an ex parte interim injunction on Friday, July 4th, preventing the veteran actor from making any future disparaging remarks.

Court Order Restricts Defamatory Posts

The order was issued by an Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge after a civil suit was filed by Mahesh Joshi, President of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP). The petition sought a legal restraint on Kamal Haasan from making "defamatory remarks" about the language and its cultural roots.

The court has specifically ordered that Kamal Haasan is barred from “posting, making, writing, or publishing any statement or remarks claiming linguistic superiority over the Kannada language or making any statements against the Kannada language, literature, land, and culture.”

The court has summoned the actor to appear in person for the next hearing, scheduled for August 30th.

Background: The Controversial Remark

The controversy stems from an incident in May during a promotional event in Bengaluru for Thug Life. Kamal Haasan stated that “Kannada was born out of Tamil,” a remark that angered some Kannada activists and cultural organizations. The situation escalated when Haasan refused to retract his statement or apologize. As a result, Thug Life was not released in Karnataka, despite efforts from the production house and Kamal Haasan to appeal to the High Court.

About Thug Life

Thug Life, directed by Mani Ratnam, stars Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan, and Aishwarya Lekshmi in key roles. The film, unfortunately, did not perform well at the box office.