Kamal Haasan’s Language Row Sparks Reactions: Rana Daggubati and Abhishek Banerjee Urge Focus on Unity, Not Controversy
June 4, 2025 : As actor Kamal Haasan faces backlash for his remarks linking the Kannada language to Tamil, fellow actors Rana Daggubati and Abhishek Banerjee have weighed in on the controversy, calling for greater focus on intellectual voices rather than celebrity opinions in socio-political discourse.
The language row erupted following Kamal Haasan’s statement that Kannada is born out of Tamil, sparking protests and leading to a Karnataka High Court rebuke. The controversy has intensified in the lead-up to the release of Haasan’s film Thug Life, which has now been barred from release in Karnataka.
Rana Daggubati: “Actors are not societal advocates”
In a recent interview with India Today, Rana Daggubati expressed dismay over the growing trend of turning entertainers into societal spokespersons.
“Social media has become a place to make an opinion. Earlier, you didn’t have that. Anything gets touchy and political quite quickly,” he said.
“If the media, the news, and the people become smarter and understand that actors are not the ones to advocate for the way society lives — it will be a better place. I think you should look at scholars, politicians, and learned men and women to lead society.”
Daggubati’s remarks highlight the growing discomfort among actors at being thrust into the middle of divisive debates, particularly those surrounding identity and language.
Abhishek Banerjee: “Language should unify, not divide”
Echoing his Rana Naidu co-star’s sentiments, Abhishek Banerjee compared the current Tamil-Kannada controversy to the Marathi-Bihari tensions he encountered in Maharashtra.
“When I came to Bombay many years ago, I heard the same thing about the Marathi-Bihari and Kannada-Tamil conflicts, which have been going on,” he said. “I feel it’s completely worthless and useless. People who don’t have anything better to do will just try and get attention by doing this.”
Banerjee emphasized the positive potential of language as a vehicle for education and cultural growth, rather than a tool for division.
“Language is great when used to educate people and cultivate culture. It should not be used to cause divide.”
‘Thug Life’ Faces Karnataka Ban
Thug Life, directed by Mani Ratnam and starring Kamal Haasan, is scheduled for a nationwide release on June 5, except in Karnataka, where it has been banned amid the ongoing dispute. Whether the ban will impact the film’s box office performance remains to be seen.
As tensions simmer, voices from within the film industry are increasingly calling for maturity, unity, and a return to constructive dialogue, reminding audiences that language — while powerful — should ultimately serve as a bridge, not a barrier.
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