Kamal Haasan praises Sathyaraj for expressing regret

“Congrats Mr Sathyaraj for maintaining rationality in a troubled environment,” he tweeted.

The actor-director quoted from his directorial venture “Virumaandi” to describe Sathyaraj as a “great human being“.

In the movie, the protagonist’s wife tells him that a man who seeks forgiveness is a “great human being“.

Sathyaraj, who plays the role of Kattappa in SS Rajamouli’s “Baahubali” on Friday expressed regret for his comments made during the Cauvery dispute while appealing for the smooth release of the second part of the film in Karnataka next week.

His statement followed a demand for an apology from him by pro-Kannada outfits, who had threatened to stall the release of the film in the State.

Sathyaraj said he made the remarks nine years ago during a protest organised by the Tamil cinema industry against the ‘attack’ on Tamils in Karnataka over the Cauvery dispute.

Meanwhile, state BJP leader H Raja lashed out at Sathyaraj and Kamal Haasan, saying they were “bothered only about money.”

“Whether it is Kamal or Sathyaraj they are bothered only about money. Their love for Tamil and their Tamil sentiment is only skin deep,” he tweeted.

He described Sathyaraj’s act as a “self-respectless act done for money.”