Published 19:14 IST, March 3rd 2020
'Taarak Mehta' creator tweets on 'Mumbai's language is Hindi' row; MNS & netizens miffed
'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah' creator tweeted after a dialogue claiming Mumbai's language was Hindi sparked a row. He said Marathi was Mumbai's language.
One of the longest-running TV shows Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah landed into a row over a dialogue, ‘Hindi is the language of Mumbai.’ Maharashtra Navnirman Sena fumed at the makers for the statement, even threatening them with consequence. The creator of the show, Asit Kumar Modi, also clarified over the controversy, but netizens were far from pleased.
Reacting to the row, Asit Kumar Modi took to Twitter and wrote in Hindi, “Mumbai is in Maharashtra and our Maharashtra’s language is Marathi. There is no doubt in this.”
“I am an Indian, a Maharashtrian and a Gujarati too. And I respect all the languages. Jai Hind,” he continued.
He also tweeted another video where Shailesh Lodha, who plays the character of Taarak Mehta, is heard saying that one should respect each other’s languages and above all, the language of love triumphs.
Netizens, however, were not pleased. One wrote, "We demand an oral apology video in the next episode."
"Who gave you the right to say that Mumbai's language was Hindi. The language of Gujarat might be Hindi, but that does not mean Maharashtra's language will also be the same. Show that Mumbai's language is Marathi," another wrote.
"Despite knowing everything, don't try to create a scene. Mumbai is Marathi and Marathi is Mumbai, " was another response.
Jethalal’s father, played by Amit Bhatt, is heard saying in a recent episode, “See, our Gokuldham is in Mumbai, what is Mumbai’s language? Hindi. That is why we will write the thought for the day in Hindi.”
He continued, “If our Gokuldam would’ve been in Chennai, we’d have written it in Tamil, and if our Gokuldam would’ve been in America and Europe, we’d have written in English,”
Maharashtra Navnirman Film wing’s Chief Ameya Khopkar accused the makers of spreading ‘propaganda’ though the dialogue and how Maharashtrian artists working on the show might have felt it as an ‘insult’. He even threatened to teach them a lesson.
General Secretary of MNS, Shalini Thackeray threatened to give Marathi ‘suvichar’ below their ears, referring to a slap.
Updated 19:24 IST, March 3rd 2020