Shilpa Shetty calls herself ‘Maharashtra chi mulgi' as she refuses to comment on Marathi language row, internet reacts

Mint

3 days ago

Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty declined to comment on the ongoing language row in Maharashtra. It happened when she was out in Mumbai for the promotion of her upcoming film KD The Devil with co-star Sanjay Dutt. While Sanjay and Shilpa were asked about the Marathi language row, Shilpa refused to talk about it. Her silence has been criticised by the people on the internet.
Shilpa was asked to share her opinion on the Marathi language row at the teaser launch event. However, she refused, citing that she wants to avoid controversy.
However, she also asserted her roots and called herself 'Maharashtra chi mulgi.'
Shilpa said, 'Me Maharashtra chi mulgi aaahe. (I am a Maharashtrian girl)"
She added, "KD se hatke abhi aap kisi controversy mein jana chahte hain toh hum uska badhaawa nahi karenge. Yeh picture already ek multi-lingual hain, isko hum Marathi mei bhi dub kar sakte hain (Yes. I'm a girl from Maharashtra. Today, we're talking about the film KD. If you want to talk about other controversial things, we can't really encourage that. This film is already a multilingual one, and we can dub it in Marathi as well.)"
After hearing her answer, Sanjay, who couldn't comment on the issue due to a mic issue, responded with a subtle smile.
Reacting to their silence, netizens have largely criticised the actors. One of them wrote on X, formerly Twitter, 'Her husband makes porn for a living. He was in jail under Tada. She laughs at a real question. They mock us. Everyday (sic).'
'Boneless ducks doing quack quack,' added another.
'Marathi me hi bnao na movie...(why don't you make a Marathi film),' commented one more.
Someone also said, 'No spine! Only Apna Spna Money Money.'
The Marathi language row erupted after the state government planned to introduce Hindi as a third language in primary schools of Maharashtra. The decision was met with huge backlash from the opposition.
While the BJP-led government in Maharashtra reversed its order, the debate is still on, prompting several incidents in the state.
Meanwhile, KD The Devil is a pan-India film. It is directed by Prem. Apart from Shilpa and Sanjay Dutt, the film also stars Dhruva Sarja, Reeshma Nanaiah, Ramesh Aravind, and Ravichandran.