Renuka Ashutosh open up on Marathi-Hindi row in Maharashtra
Renuka Ashutosh open up on Marathi-Hindi row in Maharashtra
Amidst the ongoing language debate renowned actors Renuka Shahane and her husband Ashutosh Rana called for respect for local languages in Maharashtra, rejecting aggression in linguistic pride.
The actress reflected on the ongoing language debate in Maharashtra, urging people to respect local languages and cultures while firmly opposing any form of aggression in the name of linguistic pride.
Amidst her recent media interaction the actress who hails from Maharashtra herself, shared her thoughts on the tensions that have emerged amid Hindi and Marathi speakers in the state.
On respecting the local culture Renuka Shahane stressed the importance of understanding local culture and avoiding violence.
Adding that “If you have been living in a place for a long time, it’s a good thing to understand the local language, culture and be more respectful than anything else. It’s not about the speaking of it, much more than the intention of wanting to, you know, respect it. She is against those who do not feel the necessity to be accommodating of the local language and local culture.
She further added that she doesn’t like violence at all and also doesn’t like the fact that people can be rude about it. Going into a place where Marathi is not spoken and just slapping two or three people, it’s not going to help the language in any way. We need to find ways to get across the language to people in a way that people would find it convenient and accept it happily.
Language is not something that should is forced. That is why she was against the forced addition of Hindi from a very early stage in Maharashtra. She feels that it should be something of a choice, which she also had in growing up.
Renuka’s husband, actor Ashutosh Rana also addressed the issue that language is a topic of discussion and not controversy. India believes in talks and not controversy. Ashutosh further emphasised that language should be a tool for dialogue, not division.
Renuka and Ashutosh’s comments come amid growing tensions in Maharashtra around language identity. The debate reignited in April 2025, after the state government announced — and then quickly rolled back — a decision to make Hindi a compulsory third language in schools. Since then, several confrontations have been reported where individuals allegedly linked to the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have clashed with people for not speaking Marathi in public.
News Edit KV Raman
