‘Never intended to hurt Hindus with remark on terror’
Facing flak over his comments on right wing extremism, veteran actor Kamal Haasan on Tuesday said he never intended to hurt Hindus and opposed violence in the name of any religion.
Addressing a press conference in Chennai coinciding with his 63rd birthday, amid expectations of a big announcement by him on his long-hinted political entry, the actor said he was already there. “I am already here,” (that he was in politics) and am holding discussions with various experts on the matter, he said.
Referring to his write-up in a Tamil weekly last week, the actor said violence in the name of any religion was not proper, adding it was not his “appeal” against violence but “apprehension.” “I don’t start with the intention of hurting Hindus,” he said. Haasan said he was not bothered about how many Hindus were present in that hall or even in the country but was concerned about those back at home. “I will be reduced to tears if they (family) deny me the weapon called love,” he said.
Haasan recently courted controversy when he hit out at what he called Hindu extremism last week, claiming that right-wing groups have taken to violence because their earlier “strategy”
CHENNAI:
has stopped working.
A complaint has been filed against the actor in a court in UP for allegedly hurting religious sentiments of Hindus.
“Earlier such Hindu rightwingers, without indulging in violence against those belonging to other religions, made the latter indulge in violence through their arguments and counter arguments,” he said in the controversial remarks. However, since “this old conspiracy” had begun to fail, the groups were indulging in violence, he said.
Amid a strong buzz of his possible political entry, the veteran actor announced the launch of a ‘digital platform’, which he said could act as a ‘whistle-blower’.
He said people could share complaints and their grievances on the app, #KH, for possible redressal.
Haasan also said he would undertake a state-wide tour of Tamil Nadu.