I don’t claim to know or like Bollywood, but I do love languages and everything connected with them, whether it’s linguistics classes (so I may learn to pronounce the “u” in “Tu” properly, in french) or articles about the politics of what we speak, how we speak it, and when and where:
It was an innocent, throwaway remark but it was enough to throw India’s most famous acting family into a head-on collision with a right-wing group in the country’s movie-making capital.
Jaya Bachchan, the wife of the country’s best known movie star, Amitabh Bachchan, found herself at the centre of a nativist fury after she asked to speak in Hindi at a press conference in Mumbai, rather than Marathi, the local language. She said because the family was from northern India, it was easier for her to speak Hindi. [linkage]
Ouch. Ready the effigies!
A harmless enough remark perhaps. But her words were seized on by right-wing activists who demanded a boycott of all films by the Bachchan family - Abhishek Bachchan is Amitabh’s son and Aishwarya Rai is his daughter-in-law - and who began tearing down posters featuring the family and damaging a cinema showing one of their films. Such was the concern that the premiere of Mr Bachchan’s latest movie, The Last Lear, was postponed.[linkage]
The culprits (oh, how I love that word) may have belonged to or been inspired by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which splintered from Bal Thackeray’s Shiv Sena two years ago. The regionalist, right-wing MNS would prefer that Maharashtra be for Maharashtrians; predictably, they are rather protective of the Marathi language, as well. MNS insists that this isn’t the first time Bollywood’s finest family has dissed Bombay Mumbai (Mollywood?):
“She has purposely made such statements. Even when she said forgive me, she had a cunning smile, like she was taking potshots at Maharashtrians,” said the MNS party leader, Raj Thackeray.[linkage]
It’s a sign of how powerful this party is, that rather than roll their collective eyes, the Bachans responded by going in to apology mode. Big B even devoted an entire blog entry to his sorrow over the whole unfortunate affair, after passing a sleepless night. Highlights from that (I forgot he had a blog!), after the jump:
Arriving into London last night after a most satisfying trip on the Euro Star, from Paris, I am inundated with sms and text messages from the press on my mobile, on the happenings and controversies occurring in Mumbai, over remarks made by Jaya at the music release function of ‘Drona’, Abhishek’s film on release.
…I am by nature an individual that invariably, when confronted, addresses an issue by looking at the other person’s point of view first. This is my character. I was born with it and shall remain with it. I cannot change it now. Many friends and family look upon it as a malaise, which is defensive, wrong and incorrect. But, much to their dismay I have remained unchanged.
My first reaction therefore is, that in this matter, sentiments have been hurt.
I am not going into what has been said and under what circumstances. But rather that, even if one person is disturbed, then I would wish that that disturbance be addressed first. All else can come later…[BigBlog]
Well if she speaks to the HELP in Marathi…
Jaya has had her education in this State – in the Film Institute in Pune. Lived and graduated from that city. She speaks fluent Marathi. A major portion of our staff are all Maharashtrians. Jaya’s personal maids have been with us for almost 40 years and Jaya speaks to them in the house, only in Marathi.
Can we ever show disrespect to the local language? [BigBlog]
Uncle Amitabh (many of his commenters refer to him as such, as they express concern for his and Jaya-Auntie’s welfare) then goes on to painfully list the many, many ways he and his family have been involved with or contributed to their adopted home state.
Perhaps Shah Rukh Khan should do similar:
Other Indian movie stars have also fallen foul of the regionalist attacks. In its recent political magazine, the Shiv Sena attacked actor Shah Rukh Khan, who is originally from Delhi and who often talks fondly of the city. “If he loves Delhi, then why did he come to Mumbai?” it said. “These people come here, fill up their bellies and then burp in the name of their own states.” [linkage]
When Rediff asked AB about the Jaya Bachchan-MNS controversy, he had this to say:
It’s really unfortunate that this controversy started. We had no any intention of degrading any language. We have been living in this city for the past 40 years and whatever my family and me have earned is only because of this city. I am really proud of this city. Why will I degrade anything about this state and its language? We would love to live peacefully.
Now when off-the-cuff remarks are being distorted, people are protesting. Common people, who are innocent, have got nothing to do with this issue. So they should not suffer. Because of this we cancelled the premiere of The Last Lear. [rediff]
All’s well that…well, ends:
For the Bachchan clan, at least, it appears the current controversy has drawn to a close. After the Big B’s well publicised apology Mr Thackeray of the MNS said it was calling off its boycott. He said: “Amitabh Bachchan is the head of the family and he apologised yesterday, we accept that.” [linkage]
Nice. His apology was worth more than hers. That is to be expected, I guess. In other news, the majority of people whom I’ve met from Bombay are transplants from other states, as is the case here in DC or up North, in New York. Regionalism is a troubling movement; I can’t imagine a DC filled only with “natives”— I’ve only met three of those, in the past ten years.
