'Tamilians are against imposition': Actor Vijay Sethupathi slams reporter over question on learning Hindi language

Vijay Sethupathi, a prominent actor in South Indian cinema, got irked by a question from a reporter over learning of the Hindi language. During a press conference held on Sunday, in Chennai, the actor was promoting his upcoming Hindi film 'Merry Christmas,' which also stars Katrina Kaif and is directed by Sriram Raghavan. The film, shot simultaneously in Tamil, is set for release on January 12, facing stiff competition from three major Tamil releases on the same day.

The contentious moment arose when a reporter revisited the topic of opposition to Hindi learning among Tamil citizens, a question that had previously been raised during a press meet with Aamir Khan a few months prior. He claimed that Tamil Nadu's politics for the last 75 years had been anti-Hindi. He went on to say that many people still wear t-shirts that read 'Hindi theriyadhu poda' (I don't know Hindi).

Sethupathi, evidently irked by the recurrence of this line of questioning, responded with a fitting retort, mocking the reporter for asking an actor about language education. He clarified that while imposing Hindi is wrong, Tamilians are not opposed to learning new languages.

"Hindi, as a language, was never opposed." The reporter went on and asked him whether the language should be learnt. The actor slammed him and quickly said, "I remember you asking the same question to Aamir Khan. Why are you asking this question again and again? We never said no to Hindi. We are against the Hindi imposition. There's a difference between both. People are learning Hindi here and no one is against that. Your question is wrong and is irrelevant. No one is stopping anyone from learning Hindi. Even PTR (Minister Thyagarajan) has given an explanation for this, please see that,” Sethupathi said.

At the Chennai event, he also discussed how the industrial divide has been broken down. "During a teaser launch, I was asked about the wall between the South and North film industries. A person on the stage said that after the entry of OTT, the wall crumbled, which is clearly evident now,” Vijay Sethupathi added.

Sethupathi's career began with minor roles after returning from Dubai, where he worked as an accountant. His first lead role came in 2010 with 'Thenmerku Paruvakaatru,' and he achieved widespread recognition with the success of 'Pizza' in 2012.

Known for his versatility, Sethupathi has acted in over 50 films across various Indian languages, including Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, and Kannada. He is married to Jessy Sethupathi, with whom he has two children, Surya and Shreeja. Surya Sethupathi is following in his father's footsteps, making his debut as a hero in the film 'Phoenix.'

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