Rajkummar Rao speaks out on Bollywood’s silence over Hindi-Marathi row and other pressing issues

When asked whether Bollywood actors avoid speaking on controversial topics to remain politically correct, Rao responded by saying that people should talk about issues they feel strongly about—but not out of compulsion.

Mumbai: Actor Rajkummar Rao has addressed the ongoing debate around the Hindi-Marathi language issue in Maharashtra and opened up about the silence of Hindi film actors on such sensitive topics.

In a recent conversation with IANS, the ‘Stree’ actor shared his nuanced view on why not every actor publicly comments on every issue and why silence doesn’t necessarily mean indifference. When asked whether Bollywood actors avoid speaking on controversial topics to remain politically correct, Rao responded by saying that people should talk about issues they feel strongly about—but not out of compulsion.

---

He explained that while actors are deeply sensitive and affected by social matters, the pressure to express those emotions publicly—especially on social media—can be misleading. Rajkummar Rao shared, “I think if there’s an issue you feel strongly about, you should talk about it. But it’s not necessary to speak on every issue. And just because you don’t post about something on social media doesn’t mean you don’t care about it. I think that’s a bit strange. Like, I love my country—I love my country immensely.”

“But even beyond the country, for anything—if something happens, of course, I feel very bad. Especially as actors, we are very, very sensitive people. I feel very bad. But if I don’t post about it on social media, then it’s assumed that I didn’t feel bad. Since when did social media become the platform to decide whether or not someone cares? If you post, it means you care—and if you don’t, it means you don’t feel anything. Who decided that? There are so many people in this country, in this world, who aren’t on social media — don’t they feel bad? They do. Don’t they feel good when something good happens? Of course, they do.”

Citing personal examples, the ‘Srikanth’ actor shared how deeply affected he was by the visuals of an aeroplane crash during a shoot, saying he cried after watching them. But he chose not to share those feelings on social media.

“I’ve cried when I saw those aeroplane crash visuals. We were shooting those days when it happened. But is it so important to put it on social media, that you know, when I saw this, I cried a lot? No, it’s a personal feeling that you have or don’t have. Too much of trying to put it on social media might also take away the sensitivity.”

In a recent development, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray have opposed the inclusion of Hindi as a third language in Marathi-medium and other government schools. A few days ago, the Maharashtra government recommended Hindi as an optional third language in state-run schools.