The language problem in India just seems to be rising by the day. Recently, a clip of Bollywood actor Kajol has gone viral where snapped at a media person for asking her to speak in Hindi. It wasn’t long ago when such incidents of the tussle between Hindi and other regional languages were a rare incident.
However, in recent times, more and more people are boldly speaking out against any sort of Hindi imposition, raising their own language and especially demanding that the notion that everyone should and obviously does understand Hindi be put to an end.
Many people are now demanding that migrants to states that don’t speak Hindi learn the local language, and while the arguments are valid, it has led to tensions rising among Hindi and non-Hindi speakers across the country.
This recent incident of Kajol at a film event has also led to mixed reactions, with many defending her and some calling her out for being rude.
What Did Kajol Say?
Kajol was honoured at Tuesday’s Maharashtra State Film Awards 2025 held in Mumbai with the prestigious Raj Kapoor Award for her contribution to Indian cinema. It was here that she gave a speech in Marathi.
A clip has gone viral from this event, where Kajol, when answering media reporters on the award, can be heard saying in Marathi, “Mala ha puraskar ya divshi midte… So it’s very, very big. Motha diwas aahe maajha saathi. I am very happy ki aaj maajhi aayi pan aahe maajha barobar and tyana pan ha puruskar bhetla hota agodar tar it’s a very big deal”
“(I have received this award today… it’s very, very big. It’s a big day for me. I’m very happy that today my mother is also here with me. She had also received this award earlier, so it’s a very big deal).”
According to an ANI video, a reporter allegedly asks her to answer a question in Hindi, to which Kajol rebukes by saying, “Abhi main Hindi mein bolun? Jisko samajhna hai woh samajh lenge (Now should I speak in Hindi too? Those who want to understand what I said, will understand).”
For the next question, when asked about entering Marathi cinema, Kajol answered in Marathi and English and added on “Aur Hindi mein batadun to zaroor karungi (And in Hindi, I will definitely do it),” referring to the earlier question.
Even after that, as well, the actor spoke in a mix of all three languages, switching between Marathi, English, and Hindi, for another question. It seems that the outright request to speak in Hindi irked her the wrong way.
Maharashtra has been battling its own language problem, which might shed some light on why Kajol’s statements aren’t coming out of the blue.
In April, the Maharashtra government had passed a controversial decision to make Hindi a compulsory third language in schools. This was met with heavy backlash and eventually rolled back; however, MNS workers have been alleged to have gotten into arguments with people in Mumbai and Pune if they refuse to speak Marathi.
Read More: As A Telugu & Hindi Speaking Student, I Feel English Might Be A Better Official Language Than Hindi For India
Actress Renuka Shahane also commented on this, saying, “If you are in a place for a very long time, it’s a good thing to understand the local language, the local culture and be respectful more than anything else…It’s not about the speaking of it, much more than the intention of wanting to, you know, respect it. I do not like people who do not feel the necessity to be accommodating of the local language and local culture.”
How Did People React?
The clip, of course, went viral, with many having mixed reactions over it. Interestingly, there were many people who defended Kajol’s comment and claimed it was completely justified.
One user wrote, “Why the drama over Kajol not speaking Hindi? It was a Marathi film award event, organised by the Marathi state govt. She spoke in Marathi — what’s the problem? In fact, people should feel proud. Like a true Hindu, she respected her karma bhoomi, Maharashtra. Not everything needs to be a headline. Chill.”
Another commented, “It was a Marathi awards function. So she spoke in Marathi, which is her mother tongue.”
A third user wrote, “Just because she is a Bollywood actress, she should speak in Hindi? Does the same rule apply to Kamal Hassan, Prabhash, etc.? But yeah, she could have been a bit respectful while denying to speak in Hindi. No need to be arrogant.”
Another questioned this importance given to Hindi writing, “Kajol speaks Bengali, Marathi, English, Hindi – makes her multilingual. In Free India, is there a compulsion to speak a particular language?”
While there have been defenders of Kajol, there are obviously those who have shown disappointment at the actor for her remarks. One user wrote, “If she feels uncomfortable and ashamed to speak in the Hindi language, then she should stop working in Bollywood Hindi Movies. She should drop her double standards.”
Another sharing a similar sentiment wrote, “Why is she working in Hindi films? She should work in Marathi films only, if they don’t respect and hate Hindi, why do and translate ur movie in Hindi.”
An X/Twitter user also commented, “After earning so much money and fame through the Hindi Audience, Kajol says, ‘ab Hindi mein bolun? Jisko samajhna hai samajh le’.”
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Mint, The Indian Express, India Today
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Kajol Hindi, Kajol Hindi language, Kajol Hindi marathi, Kajol controversy, Kajol language controversy, Kajol news, Kajol new movie, hindi, india language problem
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