Kamal Haasan’s statement on Sanatana Dharma sparks controversy, says ‘Only education can break the chains of Sanatanam’

Actor, Rajya Sabha MP and founder of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), Kamal Haasan, has landed in a political row for his remark against Sanatana Dharma at an event in Chennai on Sunday (August 3, 2025), facing backlash from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members and Sanatana Dharma supporters on social media.

On Sunday, Kamal participated in the 15^th anniversary celebrations of Agaram Foundation, Tamil actor Suriya’s charitable organisation that has helped over 6,700 first-generation graduates realise their dream of higher education. While speaking at the event, Kamal praised Suriya’s efforts and urged youngsters to wield education as their weapon.

“Education and love are seldom provided together. Mothers give you that, and institutions like the Agaram Foundation give you that. They give you a crown if you reach greater heights in cinema, but if you want to reach great heights to do good for society, all you will get is a crown made of thorns. To say ‘It’s okay if that’s the crown I’d be bestowed with’ needs a lot of mental strength. It needs courage because nobody will stand with you,” said Kamal.

On NEET, Sanatana Dharma

The Thug Life actor then criticised the Union government’s National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), the entrance examination for undergraduate and postgraduate medical education that has drawn flak, especially in Tamil Nadu, since its inception in 2017. “The doctors you saw on stage today….I am not sure if they can show another batch of doctors like this at their next event. Because they haven’t been able to continue such efforts post-2017. Now, do you understand why we have been opposing NEET? Since 2017, this law has prevented such children from getting this education. Agaram cannot do anything about it,” said Kamal, adding that only education can grant the power to change this situation.

“In this war, only education has the power to change the nation. It’s the only weapon that can break the chains of dictatorship and Sanatana. Do not take any other weapon in your hands. You can’t win with any other weapon. Because you will be defeated by majoritarianism; ignorant majoritarians will defeat you,” added Kamal.

Further, he revealed that he had spoken to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin about Suriya’s work and that he urged him to support such NGOs. “I told him, ‘They are not asking for money, they are merely asking for permission. How is that going to hurt us? Please give them the necessary permissions’ He said he has been doing so.”

Kamal’s statement against Sanatana Dharma has garnered criticism, especially from the BJP. Sanatana Dharma, a set of eternal duties ordained in Hinduism, has been a sensitive nerve in politics. Earlier in 2023, Tamil Nadu Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, Udhayanidhi Stalin’s statement calling for “the eradication of Sanatana Dharma” triggered a major political row.

Reacting to his comment, BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan, on Monday, accused Kamal of “dividing people” on religious sentiments. “Kamal Haasan is more thankful to DMK than its own cadres. If he speaks about Sanatan, Udhayanidhi and Stalin will be happy. However, Tamil Nadu people will be unhappy, and not only Tamil Nadu, the sentiments of all Indians who follow that ideology will be hurt,” she told the news agency ANI.

This isn’t the first time a statement by Kamal Haasan has created a controversy in recent times.

Earlier in June, the actor was embroiled in a controversy during the promotions of his film Thug Lifefor stating that the Kannada language “was born out of Tamil.” The remark, made during the audio launch of his upcoming film Thug Life in Chennai, has drawn fierce backlash in Karnataka, particularly from the BJP and pro-Kannada groups. The controversy even led to a halt in the film’s release in Karnataka, a ban that was revoked after the Supreme Court of India asserted filmmakers’ right to release certified films without threats of arson or mob intimidation.