Bengaluru, May 28 (PTI) Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, a pro-Kannada organisation, on Wednesday lodged a complaint with Bengaluru Police against actor Kamal Haasan for his recent remarks at the audio launch of his upcoming film 'Thug Life' in Chennai, where he claimed that 'Tamil gave birth to Kannada'.
The outfit-led by Praveen Shetty lodged a complaint at R T Nagar police station here demanding legal action against the actor, they said.
In the complaint, the organisation alleged that the "controversial statement" made by the actor has not only hurt the sentiments of Kannadigas, but it has also sown seeds of poison between Kannadigas and Tamils and has insulted Kannadigas.
"Every time a new Tamil movie is released, they have been constantly hurting the self-respect of Kannadigas. Such statements have been made continuously and have further disrupted peace and order between Kannadigas and Tamils," the complaint further alleged.
"We have received a complaint. But no FIR has been registered yet. We are seeking a legal opinion and accordingly, we will take further action in the matter," a senior police officer said.
The actor's comments have sparked outrage among several pro-Kannada outfits. They staged protests against Haasan in various parts of the state like Belagavi, Mysuru, Hubballi, Bengaluru, among others.
Condemning the actor-politician's statement, the agitators demanded that he apologise to the people of the state.
They have even threatened to obstruct the screening of his film 'Thug Life' in the state, if he fails to issue an apology.
The activists have also burnt Haasan's posters at Belagavi and a few other places, and raised slogans against him.