EXCLUSIVE: Vishal Jethwa Weighs In On People Respecting English-Speakers More Than Hindi-Speakers In India; Says, “Class Se Judge Kar Lete Hai”

Vishal Jethwa needs no introductions thanks to his performance as Akbar in Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana Pratap and Sunny in the Rani Mukerji-led Mardaani 2. The now-31-year-old recently sat down with Bollywood Bubble for a podcast and got candid about several things, including not being fluent in English, people looking down on those who struggle speaking English and more. Scroll below to know what he said and watch the full interview video.

Vishal Jethwa On People Respecting English-Speakers More Than Hindi-Speakers

Talking about now being fluent in English – especially at the start of his career, and how people generally look down on others for being unable to speak the language with ease, Vishal Jethwa said, “Mujhe lagta tha ki English nahi bol paaya toh kuch nahi hoga.” He continued, “Ek ajeeb kisam ki problem hai – English ko log class se judge karte hai. Agar aapki Hindi kharab hai toh, ‘How sweet, how cute,’ aapki Marathi kharab hai toh, ‘Kitna cute lag raha hai yeh.’ “

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He continued, “Agar koi foreigner aake Hindi kharab bole rahe hai toh humko cute lagte hai, unka fan following badd jaata hai. Par agar India mein hi reh ke, hum Hindi mein hi baat kar rahe hai, English mein nahi bol paa rahe hai toh turant woh disrespectful wala topic ban jaata hai aur log class se judge kar lete hai. Dheere-dheere yeh barrier tuta hai but…”

Vishal: I Don’t Know English

Stating that he still needs to get a command over English, Vishal added, “Agar main industry mein hu, logo ke saath mujhe uthna baithna hai toh, aacha hai agar main (English) sikh lu. But nahi aata hai toh bhi it’s not a big deal. But excuse bhi hina nahi chahiye. Because I don’t know English aur main yeh sab bol raha hu toh woh thoda excuse lagta hai.”

In the same conversation, he added, “Baaki har country apne language ko leke proud hai aur… I don’t know yeh kaha se shuru hai yeh silsilla…”

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A post shared by Vishal Jethwa (@vishaljethwa06)

When asked if his not being well polished in speaking English made him question his decision to become an actor, Vishal replied in Hindi, “No. At that time, I didn’t care much because I was mad about my work. I didn’t know how I would achieve my dreams, what I would become, but I knew I would succeed because of my determination.”

Watch Vishal Jethwa’s full interview here:

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