Sathyaraj (Kattapa) of 'Baahubali' Fame Apologizes For His Remarks Against Kannadigas

South actor Sathyaraj, who was seen essaying the role of noble warrior Kattappa in Baahubali-The Beginning and will be seen reprising his role in the sequel Baahubali-The Conclusion, finally apologized for his statements against Kannadigas made nine years ago.

In the video clip that has surfaced online, Sathyaraj is heard saying, ''I have got to know that what I had spoken during the Cauvery water crisis has created a lot of tension among the people of Karnataka. I am not against Kannadigas or Karnataka. The biggest example for this is that for the last 30 years, my assistant has been Shekar, who is a Kannadiga. I would like to apologise for the statement that I had made nine years back, and would like to say that I am a small worker in Baahubali film and my comment should not affect the film. In the last nine years, I have acted in at least 30 movies including Baahubali that have released in Karnataka. I have also been offered many Kannada films, which I couldn't take up because of schedule issues.''

Sathyaraj went on to add, ''People have watched that video from nine years ago on Youtube now, and they have been hurt by it. I apologise for the certain words I used for the people of Karnataka. I don't want the consequences of my actions to affect the hard work of thousands of people. I also have a duty to protect those Kannadiga distributors who have bought the rights for the release of the film. I will in the future continue to fight for issue of Tamils, be it Sri Lanka, Cauvery or farmers' rights.''

According to President of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, Praveen Kumar Shetty, the pro-Kannada groups have decided to allow the release of Baahubali 2 in Karnataka, but have vowed to not let any other Sathyaraj film release in the state.