Based on his multilingual upbringing, R. Madhavan has offered his viewpoint in the midst of the contentious Hindi vs. Marathi debate. Speaking to IANS, he claimed that because he speaks Tamil, Hindi, and Marathi fluently, he has never encountered discrimination in his professional life.
“Language has never been a barrier for me; I studied in Kolhapur and learnt Marathi,” he said. Drawing on personal evidence that culture need not be a source of division, Madhavan’s statement encourages unity in diversity in the face of backlash against Maharashtra’s new law requiring Hindi in schools.
An excellent illustration of how language is flexible rather than restrictive and how respect for local voices captures the essence of Indian cinema is provided by Madhavan’s ascent from Jamshedpur to national fame.
