Kamal Haasan Expresses Grief Over Tragic Stampede In Bengaluru During RCB’s IPL Victory Celebrations

Kamal Haasan Mourns Bengaluru Stampede: Actor and politician Kamal Haasan has expressed his condolences following a fatal stampede outside Bengaluru's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday evening. The incident took place amid celebrations for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) cricket team's IPL victory and resulted in 11 deaths along with over 30 injuries.

On his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Kamal Haasan wrote that the tragedy was "heart wrenching" and conveyed his sympathies to the victims' families, wishing a speedy recovery to those injured.

The stampede happened as thousands gathered near the stadium for a felicitation event honoring the RCB players. According to a report by News18, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah addressed the incident, attributing it to crowd pressure and calling it an "unexpected tragedy." The chief minister announced an ex gratia compensation of ₹10 lakh for each deceased family and ordered a magisterial inquiry to investigate the circumstances further.

Prior to the celebrations, the RCB team, including captain Virat Kohli, had visited the state legislative building, Vidhana Soudha, to meet with Siddaramaiah. Witnesses at the scene reported that the situation escalated when fans tried to climb fences, which triggered panic and led to the stampede.

Kamal Haasan's Kannada remarks and film release issues

Kamal Haasan's public statement comes amid ongoing controversy sparked by his recent remarks regarding the Kannada language's origins. He had suggested that Kannada derived from Tamil, a comment that drew criticism from various Kannada groups. Though Kamal Haasan later clarified that his intention was to show love and respect for the late Kannada legend Dr. Rajkumar and his family, calls for a formal apology remain.

Speaking to the media before the pan-India release of his upcoming film Thug Life, Kamal Haasan chose not to revisit the language controversy.

Haasan had sought court protection for the film's release in Karnataka but later confirmed that Thug Life would not be screened in the state following directions from the Karnataka High Court. Reports suggest the decision came amid pressure from fringe groups demanding an apology from the actor, which Kamal Haasan refused to provide.

Thug Life features a star-studded cast including Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan, Abhirami, and others, with music by A. R. Rahman and cinematography by Ravi K. Chandran. The film has been produced under the banners of Raaj Kamal Films International, Madras Talkies, and Red Giant Movies.