Kamal Haasan addresses criticism on his Kannada-Tamil comment: 'Love will never apologise..'

Kamal Haasan has responded to the controversy over his "Kannada born from Tamil" comment. He told reporters that he didn't mean to offend anyone. He also explained that his comment was made with good intentions.

“I think what I said was said with a lot of love. Historians have taught me the language history…I didn’t mean anything. And, let me tell you, Tamil Nadu is a place which has been open. I don’t say there is no other state like this. But a very rare state where a Menon (MG Ramachandran) has been our Chief Minister…a Reddy (Omandur Ramasamy Reddiyar) has been our Chief Minister, a Tamilian (M Karunanidhi) has been our Chief Minister and then a Kannadiga Iyengar has been our CM from Mandya," Kamal Haasan said, as quoted by the news agency PTI.

“So let’s leave all these very in-depth discussions to historians, archaeologists and language experts. If you look at it from the northern point of view, according to them it is right, if you look at it from Thenkumari (south), then what I say is right. There is a third angle to it– the scholars, the language experts. This is not an answer, an explanation. Love will never apologise," the actor added.

Kamal Haasan sparked controversy at a recent event in Chennai. He made a comment about the origins of the Kannada language, which caused a stir. “Actor Shivarajkumar is my family living in another state. That’s why he is here. That’s why when I started my speech, I said ‘my life and my family is Tamil’. Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil. So you are included in that line," he said.

After his comments, pro-Kannada groups in Karnataka protested. They wanted Kamal Haasan to apologize and even called for a ban on his new movie.

Kamal Haasan's new film, "Thug Life," is coming out soon. He plays a tough gang leader named Rangaraaya Sakthivel. The story is about Sakthivel, his brother, and a young boy he raises. When someone tries to kill Sakthivel, the boy becomes a suspect, leading to a story of revenge.