‘Why are you making it a big deal?’ Hattrick hero Shivanna responds to Kamal Haasan’s Kannada language controversy

BENGALURU: Actor Shivarajkumar has finally broken his silence over the controversy surrounding Kamal Haasan’s comments about Kannada. “Kamal Haasan also loves Kannada. Why are you making a big deal out of it now?” he asked.

The actor said, “Kamal Haasan is someone I admire. I like him. My father’s and Kamal’s relationship is different, but that’s why I am not his fan. I consider him an inspiration to me. He had invited us to his show, so we went and returned. That’s it.”

Shivarajkumar further said, “Just saying ‘Kannada, Kannada’ in words isn’t enough. I will fight for Kannada, I will die for Kannada. But it’s not just about supporting established stars; we should also support newcomers. Kamal Haasan knows all this, and he will correct it by himself”.

No Apology
Only Love

– Kamal Haasan pic.twitter.com/6a0zdf1jjf

— We Dravidians (@WeDravidians) May 28, 2025

Kamal Haasan had sparked controversy by saying that Kannada originated from Tamil. When asked about it, he said in a clarification note that he said it out of love, and a lot of historians have taught him language history. “I didn’t mean anything. Politicians are not qualified to talk about language. They don’t have the qualifications to talk about it, including me. Let’s leave all these very in-depth discussions to historians, archaeologists, and language experts,” Haasan added.