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After the monstrous success of KGF Chapter 2, actor Kiccha Sudeep spoke about pan-Indian films at an event and said that “Hindi is no more a national language.” Now, Runway 34 actor-director Ajay Devgn has reacted to the comment made by the Kannada star. In a tweet written in Hindi, Ajay asked that if Hindi is not our national language, why does Sudeep release his films dubbed in Hindi.
Soon after Ajay’s tweet, Sudeep responded to the actor on the social media platform and explained that his statement was probably taken out of context by the Bhuj actor. Sudeep added that the statement wasn’t meant to “hurt, provoke or to start any debate”. He wrote, “Hello @ajaydevgn sir.. the context to why i said tat line is entirely different to the way I guess it has reached you. Probably wil emphasis on why the statement was made when I see you in person. It wasn’t to hurt,Provoke or to start any debate. Why would I sir 😁”
In another tweet, Sudeep wrote that he loves and respects every language of the country. “I love and respect every language of our country sir. I would want this topic to rest,,, as I said the line in a totally different context. Mch luv and wshs to you always. Hoping to seeing you soon. 🥳🥂🤜🏻🤛🏻.”
While it looked like the topic was laid to rest, Sudeep tweeted again and wrote that he understood the text that Ajay wrote in Hindi but wondered what the situation would be if his response was written in Kannada, as opposed to English. He wrote, “And sir @ajaydevgn, I did understand the txt you sent in hindi. Tats only coz we all have respected,loved and learnt hindi. No offense sir, but was wondering what’d the situation be if my response was typed in kannada.!! Don’t we too belong to India sir. 🥂”
Later, Ajay took to Twitter again and said that “perhaps something was lost in translation.” He wrote, “Hi @KicchaSudeep, You are a friend. thanks for clearing up the misunderstanding. I’ve always thought of the film industry as one. We respect all languages and we expect everyone to respect our language as well. Perhaps, something was lost in translation 🙏”
A few days ago, Sudeep made the comments at the film launch of R: The Deadliest Gangster Ever. When asked about a Kannada film becoming a pan-India hit, Sudeep said, “You said that a pan India film was made in Kannada. I’d like to make a small correction. Hindi is no more a national language. They (Bollywood) are doing pan-India films today. They are struggling (to find success) by dubbing in Telugu and Tamil, but it’s not happening. Today, we are making films that are going everywhere.”
This adds up to the ongoing debate around Hindi being India’s national language. Home Minister Amit Shah was quoted by the Ministry of Home Affairs for having said at the 37th meeting of the Parliamentary Official Language Committee, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided that the medium of running the government is the Official Language, and this will definitely increase the importance of Hindi. Now the time has come to make the Official Language an important part of the unity of the country. When citizens of States who speak other languages communicate with each other, it should be in the language of India.”
In recent months, the success of films like KGF Chapter 2, RRR, Pushpa: The Rise has started the debate that regional cinema has cracked the formula for pan-Indian success, while Hindi films are lagging behind.
Ajay, in a recent chat with ETimes, had spoken about the success of pan-Indian films and said, “These pan-India films I think have got it right.” Ajay praised their larger-than-life nature and shared that the common man connects with these characters because their origins are quite similar, and the fictional characters then take off towards a fantastical space, that feels almost aspirational.
In the 13 days since its release, KGF Chapter 2 is said to have earned over Rs 900 crore at the box office. In a chat with Variety, Yash has hinted that the film might get a third part soon.
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