Shiva Rajkumar calls Hindi ‘national language’, sparks controversy
Kannada actor Shiva Rajkumar sparked a social media controversy after referring to Hindi as a 'national language' during a film promotion event. While some critics accused him of ignoring linguistic identity, others defended his comments as a reference to the language's widespread usage.
Why it matters
The incident underscores the ongoing sensitivity surrounding language politics and regional identity in India.
Kannada superstar Shiva Rajkumar has found himself at the centre of a language controversy after his recent remarks referring to Hindi as a “national language” sparked a debate on social media. The actor made the comments at the title launch of his upcoming film ‘Original Monster’ on Monday.During the event, Shiva Rajkumar was asked about delivering Hindi dialogues in the pan-India project, which is being made in Kannada and Hindi. Responding to the question, the actor said, “Why? Hindi is my second language. I can speak Hindi. What did you think? It is an easy language, the national language. How would we not know it?
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in