Renuka Shahane Opens Up About Marathi Row: Slapping Two Or Three People Won’t Help The Language

Renuka Shahane didn’t pull any punches when she spoke up about the ongoing Hindi-Marathi language tussle in Maharashtra. On Pooja Chaudhri’s podcast, ‘InControversial,’ she went right in—no sugarcoating.

She’s a Maharashtrian herself, so this isn’t just theory for her—it’s home turf.

Renuka Shahane opens up about the Marathi language row

“If you’ve been somewhere for ages, the least you can do is try to grasp the local language and culture. It’s not about being perfect at it. It’s about showing respect, making the effort. What gets to me is when people don’t even try to fit in or at least acknowledge the culture around them,” Renuka said.

She didn’t mince words about folks who just brush off the local vibe—they’re not her crowd.

She also wasn’t shy about condemning the uglier side of this debate. “Violence? Rudeness? I can’t stand that. Going somewhere, picking a fight just because someone doesn’t speak Marathi—that’s not going to help anything,” she added.

Honestly, she’s right. Picking fights over language never did anyone any favours.

What is the Marathi language row? 

This whole thing has been brewing for a while, ever since the Maharashtra government tried to make Hindi a mandatory third language in schools back in April.

That decision got rolled back, but tempers have been flaring. There’ve been reports of MNS workers in Mumbai and Pune getting aggressive with people who don’t speak Marathi. Some folks have decided that if you live here, you’d better speak the lingo—or else.

Janhvi Kapoor’s boyfriend, Shikhar Pahariya, also chimed in online. He said preserving Marathi matters. Language shapes us. It’s tied to our history, our art, our identity. 

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