Actor-politician Kamal Haasan, who is currently facing backlash in Karnataka over his controversial remark on the origin of the Kannada language, expressed grief over the tragic stampede that occurred outside Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium during RCB victory celebration. The incident left 11 people dead and over 30 injured.

Taking to social media platform X, Haasan wrote, "Heart wrenching tragedy in Bangalore.  Deeply distressed and my heart reaches out to the families of the victims in this moment of grief. May the injured recover soon."

Heart wrenching tragedy in Bangalore. Deeply distressed and my heart reaches out to the families of the victims in this moment of grief. May the injured recover soon.

— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) June 4, 2025

This is Haasan’s first public response to the stampede that occurred Wednesday evening as thousands gathered to celebrate Royal Challengers Bangalore’s maiden IPL title win.

No 'Thug Life' Release In Karnataka

Haasan's remarks come days after the Karnataka High Court expressed disapproval over his earlier comments on the Kannada language. The court noted that a simple apology might have de-escalated tensions, with Justice M Nagaprasanna remarking, "Freedom of expression cannot be extended to the extent of hurting someone's sentiment, of a mass in particular...Spoken words cannot be taken back, and they can only be apologised....you cannot unscramble the scrambled egg."

In light of the controversy, the producers of 'Thug Life' have informed Karnataka High Court that the film will not be released in the state on June 5, even as it opens in theatres across the rest of the country. 

While addressing an event in Chennai on Wednesday evening, where he shared the stage with fellow stars from the upcoming film Thug Life, Haasan refrained from making any reference to the ongoing controversy surrounding his earlier statement. Instead, the veteran actor praised the film's technical crew and expressed gratitude to the people of Tamil Nadu for their support. "I should thank the entire state of Tamil Nadu which stood behind me," he said.