Ajay Devgn had the guts to say that no “Hindi cinema” actor will ever have

Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn went on a rampage mode on Wednesday and slammed Kannada actor Kichcha Sudeep over his controversial statement on Hindi and KGF 2. Unlike his Bollywood compatriots who are too afraid to speak about their identity, culture or language owing to political correctness, Ajay did not hold back and showed Kichcha that playing down Hindi will not be tolerated.

Reportedly, Kichcha, during the promotion tour of KGF 2 had stoked controversy after the Kannada-language film was referred to as a ‘pan India film’. Attacking Bollywood, Kichcha remarked that Hindi is no more a national language and that the Hindi film industry is struggling today to find success by dubbing Telugu and Tamil films but it is not happening.

He 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.”

However, Ajay was not the one to take Kichcha’s remarks lying down. The actor who proudly wears his culture on his sleeve in a Twitter reply hit back at the Kannada actor by stating, “My brother, if according to you Hindi is not our national language then why do you release your movies in your mother tongue by dubbing them in Hindi? Hindi was, is and always will be our mother tongue and national language. Jan Gan Man.”

The context was different, clarifies Kichcha

Feeling the heat of Ajay’s reply, Kichcha also took to Twitter but tried to douse the situation by claiming that the context in which his statement was made was different.

He said, “Hello @ajaydevgn sir.. the context to why I said that line is entirely different to the way I guess it has reached you. Probably will 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 (sic)”

Wanting to put the topic to bed, Kichcha said that he will look to address the issue by meeting face to face, “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.”

Read More: After Tanhaji, these are the few legends of Hindu history that Ajay Devgn must portray on screen

Ajay accepts the olive branch

To which, Ajay accepted the olive branch and remarked that perhaps something was lost in translation, “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.”

While Kichcha cleverly tried to subvert the controversy, it was clear from his statement that he was taking a dig at Hindi and the Hindi industry. However, three years ago, it was Kichcha that was openly batting for Hindi as the national language when promoting his movie Pailwaan and its Hindi dubbing.

Kichcha had said, “That’s because Hindi is the national language. Everything started from here, hence it always holds more weightage. According to me, there is larger number of people who speak Hindi compared to other languages. Hence, we are giving more preference to the Hindi version.”

Ajay is one of the true nationalist actors in the film industry. Unlike actors who choose nationalism for their convenience. Ajay continues to maintain the high standards of Dharma. Bollywood, despite its lean form at the moment continues to be the final frontier for actors and producers.

The southern film industry is doing an admirable job in widening the horizons of film industry which should be widely appreciated. However, to raise someone and in this case Kannada language, one need not talk down Hindi.