Akshay Kumar on Bollywood's Language Debate: "I Always Choose Hindi"

"In the '90s, even if there was an award night, I always said that I would speak in Hindi. Generally too, I always speak in Hindi. Even at many of my conclaves, where there are English speakers, I fold my hands and tell them, you speak in English but I will speak in Hindi. That is my comfort," Akshay Kumar said in an exclusive conversation with IANS.

During the conversation, it was noted that while English was widely preferred in the 1990s, actors like Akshay Kumar and Govinda were among the few who confidently communicated in Hindi, choosing comfort over snob appeal.

Sharing his perspective, Akshay also stated that language, for him, has always been about comfort and authenticity rather than perception.

Actor Rajpal Yadav, who was also present at the interview, added that language has never been a barrier on film sets despite the diversity of people working together.

"Tell me one thing, there are around 250 people on a set. Punjabi, Tamil, Malayali, Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, everyone is there. It's a mixture. But in that mixture, there is never a problem with language. Till date, there has never been any issue with communication. Everyone understands cinema and communication," Rajpal Yadav said.

On the work front, Akshay Kumar is gearing up for his upcoming film "Bhoot Bangla," which also stars Paresh Rawal, Tabu, Wamiqa Gabbi, Rajpal Yadav, and late veteran actor Asrani.

The film is directed by Priyadarshan and marks his reunion with Akshay Kumar after many years.

Bhoot Bangla is being produced by Balaji Telefilms and Balaji Motion Pictures and is all to release on the 10th of April

- IANS