Amid backlash over his comments that Kannada was born out of Tamil during Thug Life promotions, Kamal Haasan responded on Wednesday, saying he meant no offence. “What I said was with a lot of love,” he said.

According to PTI, he added that historians have shaped his understanding of language, and any in-depth discussions should be left to experts. “This is not an answer [but] an explanation. Love will never apologize,” he concluded, hinting at the criticism from pro-Kannada groups and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

Meanwhile, the Congress and the BJP have jointly condemned his remarks immediately after they came to light on Tuesday. BJP leader R Ashoka called Kamal a “mental patient”, while Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah dismissed the actor’s claims as “misinformed” and added that he is “unaware” of Kannada’s deep-rooted history. htc

Controversy erupted when Kamal Haasan, at the audio launch of his upcoming film in Chennai earlier this week, said, “My life and my family are the Tamil language.” Turning to Kannada star Shiva Rajkumar, who was also present, he said, “This is my family in that place. That’s why he (Shiva Rajkumar) has come here. That’s why I began my speech saying life, relationships and Tamil. Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil, so you too are included (part of it).”

Pro-Kannada group Karnataka Rakshana Vedike filed a police complaint on Wednesday, as calls to boycott the film grow. The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce had also announced that they would discuss a possible ban.