Ajay Devgn tried to defuse the controversy by claiming the message was lost in translation.
The row over Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn's assertion that Hindi is India's national language refuses to die down as prominent Karnataka leaders have jumped into the debate, offering a reality check to the actor. Two former Karnataka Chief Ministers have slammed Mr Devgn and pointed out that Hindi is not India's national language.
Karnataka's current Chief Minister BJP's Basavaraj Bommai has also commented on the language row.
"What Sudeep has said is right. After the formation of states, they had their own regional languages, those mother tongues have assumed importance in the respective states. What Sudeep has said is right. Each of us should respect this," he said.
While former Congress Chief Minister Siddaramaiah strongly criticised Mr Devgn's tweet saying Hindi was never our national language, Janata Dal (Secular)'s HD Kumaraswamy backed Kannada actor Sudeep Sanjeev's remark that Hindi is not the national language and directly attacked the Bollywood actor, calling him a BJP mouthpiece. "Ajay Devgn blabbered as a mouthpiece of BJP's Hindi Nationalism of one nation, one tax, one language & one government," Mr Kumaraswamy said in a tweet.
"Hindi was never and will never be our National Language. It is the duty of every Indian to respect linguistic diversity of our country," Siddaramaiah had said last evening.
The row started yesterday when Ajay Devgn said that "Hindi was, is, and will always be our mother tongue and national language". He was reacting to Kannada actor Sudeep Sanjeev, known only as Sudeep, who pointed out at a recent event that Hindi is not the national language.
Responding to a comment on the recently released blockbuster Kannada movie "K.G.F: Chapter 2", which has done tremendously well even in North India, Mr Sudeep said, "everyone says that a Kannada film was made on a pan-India level but a small correction is that Hindi is not a national language anymore".
Taking a dig at the Hindi film industry, he added that Bollywood produces many pan-India movies that are released in Telugu and Tamil but struggle to find success on the same scale.
"Today we are making films that are going everywhere," he said.
Reacting to the comment, Ajay Devgn tagged the Kannada actor on Twitter and asked him why he releases Hindi dubbed versions of movies made in his mother tongue.
Mr Kumaraswamy today responded by saying "Hindi-based political parties" have always tried to "destroy" regional languages. He targetted both Congress and the BJP, saying Congress started "Hindi imposition" which is being continued by the BJP.
"Devgan must realise that Kannada cinema is outgrowing Hindi film industry. Because of encouragement by Kannadigas Hindi cinema has grown. Devgan shouldn't forget that his first movie 'Phool aur Kaante' ran for a year in Bengaluru," the JD(S) leader said.
He further called attempts to impose Hindi "an addiction for primacy" and a threat to India's unity.
"An addiction for primacy is dividing the country. A seed sown by the BJP has become contagious dividing the nation. This is a threat to India's unity," he said in the last of his seven tweets on the controversy.
As the exchange between the two actors escalated yesterday, both seemed to attempt to defuse the escalating controversy by blaming it on the message being lost in translation. While Mr Sudeep, responding to Mr Devgn, claimed he made the remark in a different context than how it reached him, and that it wasn't to "hurt, provoke or to start any debate", Mr Devgn thanked him for "clearing up the misunderstanding".
"Hi @KicchaSudeep, You are a friend. thanks for clearing up the misunderstanding. I've always thought of the film industry as one. We respect all languages and we expect everyone to respect our language as well. Perhaps, something was lost in translation," Mr Devgn had tweeted.
"Translation & interpretations are perspectives sir. Tats the reason not reacting wothout knowing the complete matter,,,matters.:) I don't blame you @ajaydevgn sir. Perhaps it would have been a happy moment if i had received a tweet from u for a creative reason," the Kannada actor responded.
Several movies from south India have recently seen unprecedented success at the box office not just in the south, but all across the country leading to a lot of debate on why Hindi language movies aren't as successful in the south of the country.
The debate on Hindi imposition exploded again after Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently said that Hindi, and not local languages, should be accepted as an alternative to English. Opposition parties slammed the remark, calling it an assault on India's pluralism and asserting they will thwart the move to impose "Hindi imperialism".