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Haasan signed and presented the papers to officials at the State Secretariat in Chennai in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin.
Kamal Haasan files Rajya Sabha nomination from Tamil Nadu in presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin. (X)
Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) President and famed actor Kamal Haasan on Friday filed nomination papers to contest for the biennial polls to Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu which are scheduled for June 19.
Haasan signed and presented the papers to officials at the State Secretariat in Chennai in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, and senior leaders from his party.
மாநிலங்களவைத் தேர்தலில் போட்டியிடும் @maiamofficial தலைவர் கலைஞானி @ikamalhaasan சார், நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினரும், மூத்த வழக்கறிஞருமான @PWilsonDMK சார், சேலம் கிழக்கு மாவட்டச் செயலாளர் அண்ணன் @SalemSivalingam, தலைமைக் கழகச் செய்தித் தொடர்புக்குழு இணைச் செயலாளர் அக்கா @salma_poet… pic.twitter.com/LU9cTw6UCh— Udhay (@Udhaystalin) June 6, 2025
This marks his formal entry into the upcoming upper house contest. Elections for six Rajya Sabha seats from Tamil Nadu are set to be held on June 19.
Haasan was initially expected to file his papers earlier but deferred it, reportedly due to the backlash he faced for a controversial comment on the origins of Kannada.
Kamal Haasan Controversy
The actor landed in a big controversy recently. The South superstar attended the Thug Life audio launch event in Chennai, where he made a statement linking the origins of the Kannada language to Tamil. “Actor Shivarajkumar is my family living in another state. That’s why he is here. That’s why when I started my speech, I said ‘my life and my family is Tamil’. Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil. So you are included in that line,” he said.
The actor’s remarks quickly went viral and triggered backlash from pro-Kannada groups in Karnataka. They not only demanded an apology from Haasan but also a ban on his upcoming movie.
However, the actor refused to apologise, saying, “If I am wrong, I will apologise. If I am not, then I won’t.”
This led to the situation getting escalated as the Karnataka Film Chamber warned that his new film, ‘Thug Life’, will not see a release in the state unless he apologises for his remark.
This prompted Haasan to move the High Court, seeking protection to release the film without disturbance.
Taking a stern view, the Karnataka High Court, earlier this week rapped the actor and asked him the basis of his claims, saying that his “one apology would have solved everything”.
(With inputs from agencies)
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He previously worked with Hindustan Times Digital (HTDS) and NDTV. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India …Read More
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He previously worked with Hindustan Times Digital (HTDS) and NDTV. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India … Read More
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