India, June 4 -- Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday appealed for calm from Kannada organisations, urging them not to stage protests in front of theatres over the ongoing controversy involving actor Kamal Haasan. He also expressed confidence that the veteran actor would respect the Karnataka High Court's directive in the matter.

The appeal comes amid mounting backlash against Haasan's recent remarks, where he allegedly claimed that Kannada was born out of Tamil. The statement sparked widespread criticism across Karnataka, leading to legal intervention and demands for a public apology from the actor. On Tuesday, the makers of Haasan's upcoming film 'Thug Life' informed the Karnataka High Court that the movie would no...