'English is not a measure of knowledge'; says Pankaj Tripathi
- By Web Desk -
- Sep 16, 2022
Bollywood actor Pankaj Tripathi shared his views on English being the ‘colonial’ language, and why it shouldn’t be a parameter to define knowledge and success.
The critics’ favourite, Tripathi, who is known for proudly owning the local language, and prefers his movie scripts, interviews and even awards acceptance speeches to be delivered in Hindi, rather than English, recently spoke about the non-importance of the ‘colonial’ language.
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Despite being well-versed in the language, the ‘Mirzapur’ actor prefers the ‘Hindi’ language as the medium of communication and has always rejected the idea of English being absolutely necessary for success.
Speaking about the same in a recent interview, Tripathi said, “That’s the colonial mindset, especially in north India.”
“Mindset is that ‘agar success paani hai, toh aapko angrezi aani chahiye, varna failure ho jaaoge’, (If one wants to be successful, English is a must, or else you will be considered a failure)” the actor elaborated.
He added, “English elite ki bhaasha samajh baithe, jabki woh toh colonial language hai, (English is considered to be an elite language, whereas it is a colonial language). Cool aur educated lagne ke liye voh maap-dand ban gaya hai, (it has become a criterion to look cool and educated).”
“People think ‘Angrezi bol raha hai, padha-likha hoga’, (If he is speaking in English, he must be educated).”
Furthermore, the National award-winning actor revealed that earlier he used to get his scripts in English only and would translate his dialogues to memorize them easily. “I wasn’t in a position to ask for them in only Hindi. So, I’d write all my dialogues in that, as it is easier for me to memorise. Today, I only get my scripts in Hindi.”
Also read: Mirzapur 3: Pankaj Tripathi excited to play Kaleen bhaiya again
Tripathi concluded by saying, “Language is only a mode of communication, not a parameter of how much knowledge one has.”
On the work front, Pankaj Tripathi was last seen in ‘Sherdil: The Pilbhit Saga’ which came out in June this year. In the pipeline, he has ‘Oh My God 2’ and Telugu movie ‘Bhavadeeyudu Bhagat Singh’.