The debate over intolerance refuses to budge with more and more eminent personalities joining the debate. Now, legendary actor Kamal Haasan has taken a stand and said that tolerance is a matter of give and take and that he will not return his National Award.
Taking a strong stand, the actor said,” I am not the one for intolerance. I tolerate all religions though I am not religious.”
“We should debate tolerance every five years, he added.”
Earlier, acclaimed actor Vidya Balan had also refused to return her national award when asked about her stand on the intolerance debate.
In a separate development, Kamal Haasan threw his weight behind the bull-taming sport of ‘Jallikattu’, which has now been banned, saying it is not intended at harming the animal involved.
“It is about taming the bull and not creating physical harm by breaking its horns or other parts,” he said.
Inaugurating a photo exhibition on ‘Jallikattu’ by J Suresh, the “Papanasam” star said that complaints that the bulls were ill-treated may be true with similar events in Spain or Italy but was not the case in the country.
He said that this was a sport held for youth during peaceful times so that they don’t panic if there was a real life conflict.
It was about bravery and tested an individual’s physical endurance, he said on the popular event which is held during the Tamil harvest festival of Pongal but was discontinued this year on the Supreme Court’s order.
“My request would be that it be allowed,” Haasan, who had shot a much talked about bull-taming scene in his directorial venture “Virumaandi”, said.
‘Jallikattu’ had been banned by the Supreme Court last year on grounds that it lead to cruelty to bulls.