"Ramya is the one who ran away without winning in Mandya – do you need support for Kamal Haasan ?"Karave Kidi on the Sandalwood Queen

Tamil actor Kamal Haasan's controversial statement that "Kannada originated from Tamil" has triggered protests across the state and now the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike has launched a fierce struggle. At the protest at Freedom Park, an effigy of Kamal Haasan was burnt. Amidst this controversy, actress Ramya came out in support of Kamal Haasan through her social media post. Ramya's statement that "the boycott of Kamal's statement is excessive, dravidian languages are Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam of the same category", which has further angered karve activists.

"Ramya is the one who ran away without winning in Mandya, what is the value of her words?" asked Karve Dharmaraj, adding, "Why bother about those who have left the village?" Ramya has rejected her offer, citing her stay away from politics. At the same time, questions are also being raised against Shivarajkumar, who said, "You are living in the name of Kannada. Those who are so supportive should have fought for Kannada at this time," karve said.

As Kamal Haasan has refused to apologise for his remarks, it has been announced that 'Thuglife' will not be allowed to be released in Karnataka. The activists have issued a stern warning that they will "destroy the theatres". Citing the Dravidian history of Tamil origin, Haasan said, "I said it out of love. I don't apologize. Politicians don't deserve to talk about language issues, I belong to them."