A highly distraught and visibly upset Kamal Hassan today threatened to leave Tamil Nadu and even India, if he is unable to find a secular place to stay in the country.
“MF Husain had to do it, now Hassan would do it,” he said. “Nothing will change the fact that I am a Tamil and an Indian. Only the passport will change”
He said he needed a secular place – if it’s not Tamil Nadu, he would have have to seek another state – from Kashmir to Kerala. If he doesn’t find a place in India, he will go to a secular country, he said. He also said he would leave no unpaid debts, had zero tax arrears and that he was speaking with that courage.
Kamal Haasan at the Press Conference
The actor-director, who has been braving tremendous odds against the release of his latest movie, said he was at the risk of losing everything if the release of the film was delayed further. “I will tell you why this urgency on my part, I don’t know why there is urgency on the other side.”
“I have spent a lot of money and I knew it would run well based on my experience. I have pledged everything. As all of you know, I don’t have huge assets. All my immovable properties in the city have been pledged to the creditors of the movie. As the release gets delayed, the creditors will take possession of them. If it continues, even this house will go – I have a lot of memories in this house…have learned dance, held press meets…”
Without hinting at the politics behind the controversy and why the government is adamant in not letting the movie release, he said it looks like “head for head”. When it was released in some theatres this morning, police sent the viewers out, asking for a hard copy of the HC judgement. He also wondered how a movie set in the US can hurt the sentiments of Indian Muslims.
Kamal said that he was unperturbed by all this development. “You may be wondering how I can still laugh and say all these. My family is like that. Money is nothing for me. The judge asked if one man’s money is more important than the unity and integrity of the country. I agree, unity is more important than my money”.
He said he has no politics, no religion and it was public knowledge. “I always bravely spoke of things that I thought were right.”
