Hindi medium

Today on September 14, we celebrate the Hindi Diwas, the day when Hindi was declared as one of the official languages of our country. Hindi is also considered the language of Bollywood, which is why it’s referred to as the Hindi film industry. 

Let's take a look at how Bollywood has celebrated the language through its various characters over the years: 

Shudh Hindi only
Professor Parimal Tripathi in Chupke Chupke

Based on Upendranath Ganguly's story, the movie Chupke Chupke had Dharmendra playing Professor Parimal Tripathi, a botany professor who speaks ‘shudh Hindi’. It was a kind of a crash course in Hindi speaking with loads of fun. Beside Hindi being the highlight, the movie is highly remembered for Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan's comic acts.

More than a Madrasi
Ananya Swaminathan in 2 States 

In 2 States, Alia Bhatt played a Tam-Bram hailing from Chennai, who could fluently speak Hindi despite Tamil being her mother tongue. Residing in Ahmedabad, where she was shown perusing her education, it was understood that she would use Hindi to communicate with fellow students from distinct backgrounds. This character broke lingual stereotypes of how Hindi speaking audience viewed a South Indian and taught how not to refer a Tamilian as Madrasi.  

Staying true to her roots
Rani in Queen

Kangana Ranaut started off as a Hindi speaking girl, who paved her way in an English dominant set up, much like her role in Queen, where she played a middle class Delhi girl who lands up in Paris not knowing any foreign language. She won the hearts of the people in the many cities she travels abroad using Hindi and connecting through emotions. 

Emotional connect
Arjun Singh in Namastey London 

Arjun Singh in Namastey London, played by Akshay Kumar, does not know how to speak in English. But with his simplicity and emotions he is able to win Katrina Kaif’s heart whose character is London based. There’s a scene where Akshay says, “We come from Hindi speaking nation where a Catholic lady steps aside from becoming a Prime Minister for a Sikh and where a Sikh is sworn in as a Prime Minister by a Muslim President to govern a nation of over 80 per cent Hindus…” And that’s what melted her lady love’s heart in the film.

Keeping the parampara 
Narayan Shankar in Mohabbatein  

One would still get the chills hearing the iconic dialogue uttered by Amitabh Bachchan in Mohabbatein which goes as “Parampara, pratishtha, anushaasan. Yehi Gurukulke teen stambhhain”. As the Gurukul dean, Amitabh Bachchan maintained Hindi as a preferred language to often communicate with his students.