Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 31 (ANI): BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan on Saturday responded to actor Kamal Haasan's recent remark on the Kannada language and said that while celebrating one's linguistic heritage, it is essential not to disregard or offend other languages.

Speaking to reporters, Soundararajan said, 'Tamil is an ancient language, and you will always see Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating this... Whenever you express the richness of your language, you should not hurt the sentiments of others. When you express the richness of your language, you should also think about other languages.'

'Why didn't Kamal Haasan mention this previously when he was acting in Kannada, Telugu and Hindi movies? Why now does he want to disrupt the brotherhood of other states?' she remarked.

Kamal Haasan and his movie 'Thug Life' were caught in a controversy in Karnataka after the actor reportedly stated that 'Kannada is born out of Tamil' during a promotional event in Chennai. It led to several protests in Karanataka by the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike and other Kannada organisations.

Actor Kamal Haasan reiterated his faith in 'law and democracy' on Friday, responding to the ongoing controversy surrounding his purported remark on the Kannada language while promoting his movie 'Thug Life' in Chennai.

Terming India a 'democratic country,' the actor stated that he won't 'apologise' to anyone for his actions if he is 'not wrong'. Pro-Kannada organisations have demanded a public apology from him for allegedly hurting the sentiments of Kannada people.

Responding to the warning by pro-Kannada groups that they would boycott his film if he did not apologise for his remarks, the actor said that he believes in 'law' and 'justice' since India is a 'democratic' country.

On Friday, the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) banned the release of 'Thug Life' over the actor's purported remarks on the Kannada language.

Speaking to mediapersons in Bengaluru, Sa Ra Govindu, representative of KFCC, said that they have decided to ban the release of Kamal Haasan starrer 'Thug Life' in Karnataka as they stand firmly with Karnataka Rakshana Vedike and other Kannada organisations for their demands of halting the release of the film until the actor issues a pubic apology.

The KFCC representative said that Kamal Haasan has not yet issued an apology for hurting the sentiments of the Kannada people during his promotional event in Chennai.

On Wednesday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah criticised Kamal Haasan for his reported remark about the Kannada language, stating that he was not aware of the language's 'long-standing' history.

'Kannada has a long-standing history. Poor Kamal Haasan, he is unaware of it,' the Karnataka Chief Minister said. 'Thug Life', directed by Mani Ratnam, also stars Trisha Krishnan and Silambarasan TR in lead roles. (ANI)