Nidhi Sethi

A court in Varanasi will today hear a plea against Kamal Haasan, moved by lawyer Kamlesh Chandra Tripathi, who sought directions for the actor to refrain from making such comments.

Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan’s recent remark that “terrorism has infected right-wing groups” not only earned him the wrath of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), but a complaint has also been filed against the actor for “hurting” religious sentiments.

A court in Varanasi will today hear a plea against Kamal Haasan, moved by lawyer Kamlesh Chandra Tripathi, who sought directions for the actor to refrain from making such comments.

Through his column in a Tamil weekly, Mr Haasan hit out at what he called Hindu extremism, and said that unlike earlier when right-wing Hindus held a dialogue if they disagreed, many of them now resort to violence. “Extremism has spread into their (right wing) camp as well,” wrote Mr Haasan.

“Hindus are losing faith in ‘satyameva jayate’ and instead subscribing to ‘might is right’,” he added.

The BJP dismissed his remarks as “myopic and brazen” and called him a “wannabe MGR” referring to AIADMK party founder and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MG Ramachandran.

RSS ideologue Rakesh Sinha said that it’s “not the beginning but end of his public image/political career before it could even start” and demanded an apology from the political aspirant.

“Kamal Haasan must apologise for hurting Hindu civilisation, defaming it, trying to create provocation for his petty political end,” Mr Sinha tweeted.

However, fellow actors like Khushbu Sundar and Prakash Raj are in agreement with Kamal Haasan on the issue.

“Lynching,abusing,killing,threatening,harassing in the name of religion is a terror..Any religion..We see this now..N this needs 2 be stopped,” Khushboo tweeted.

Actor Prakash Raj, in a series of tweets demanded to know “if instilling fear in the name of religion… culture… morality is not terrorizing… then what is it. Just asking”.

“If taking law into hands and lynching people on slightest doubt of cow slaughter is not terrorising… If trolling with abuse, threat… to silence even a slightest voice of dissent is not terrorising… Then what is terrorizing… Just asking,” his tweet read.

A staunch critic of the Tamil Nadu government, actor Kamal Haasan has been talking of launching his own political party and has promised a “big announcement” on his birthday on November 7. “Get ready,” he asked his fans.

He also met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal last month and sought his views on crowdfunding and recruiting “young, fresh faces” for his party.