India, June 3 -- The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday delivered a sharp rebuke to actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan over his recent controversial comment that "Kannada was born out of Tamil," stating that such remarks had deeply offended the sentiments of Kannadigas and underscoring that an apology could have averted the ongoing controversy.

During the hearing of a plea filed by Raajkamal Films International-Haasan's production house-seeking police protection for the release of his upcoming film Thug Life, Justice M Nagaprasanna questioned the actor's refusal to apologise for the remark made at a promotional event in Chennai.

"Are you a historian or a linguist to make such a statement? No language is born from another," Justice Nagaprasanna t...