Arjun Kapoor: Conversation is important, whether it is in Hindi or English

Actor Arjun Kapoor will be next seen in ‘Half Girlfriend’, romancing Shraddha Kapoor. In the film based on Chetan Bhagat’s book of the same name, Arjun plays a guy from Bihar with noticeably poor English who comes to Delhi to pursue higher studies and falls in love with a rich, high-status college mate Riya Somani, played by Shraddha Kapoor.

Today, at the trailer launch event which happened at a suburban multiplex in Mumbai, Arjun opened up on the discrimination often faced by those with weaker skills of speaking English.

“In India, if you are sensible but speak in Hindi then it doesn’t matter much. If you can’t speak in English, then you are seen in a certain way. That’s what we have tried to raise in the film. This is the biggest issue in the country. Conversation is important whether it is in Hindi or English. You understand Hindi but still, want to talk in English because you think it’s cool. We all face it, even living in Mumbai we face it. People are told that if you speak English you will sound better. So, a consciousness comes in. People are made fun of, they’re not taken seriously,” the actor said. (Also Read: Arjun Kapoor aka Madhav Jha wants to know #HalfGirlfriend hota kya hai. Do you know?)

“This has personally bothered me… the youth of today is very fluent in English but you ask them three questions in Hindi and they face a problem. We are actors so we anyway need to learn Hindi, and thankfully my grandparents always spoke to me in Hindi so my Hindi is clean but there are many actors also (who are not fluent in the language). I feel Hindi is something we need to take our country forward. How can you not understand and speak your language? It’s our mother tongue. But people ignore this issue and hence it is considered small. I hope with the film that discussion is reignited that in whatever language you speak, what you say should be understood by the other person,” he added.

Hopefully, after the film, people will start taking the issue more seriously!

Ranjini Maitra

Journalist. Writer. Reader. Enthu cutlet. Mood-swing machine. Day dreamer. Sandwiched between ‘live life fully’ and ‘lose some weight’. Mantra of life: Love and love more.