Naseeruddin Shah Faces Criticism After Controversial Statement On Sindhi Language

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2023-06-07T10:31:06+05:00 Kamran Khamiso Khowaja
Veteran Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah came under severe criticism from social media users on Tuesday after a video went viral in which he can be heard as saying "Sindhi is no more spoken in Pakistan". While talking in a premier show of "TAJ - Divided by Blood", a TV series to be aired on Zee Studio, he said that there are several languages spoken in Pakistan including Seraiki, Balochi, Dari, Pashto, Sindhi, and then went on to add that Sindhi is no more spoken in Pakistan.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1665795792639078403

The irrational comment of a seasoned Indian actor about the prominent and one of the oldest languages of the subcontinent has subjected him to grave stricture on Twitter. Young Indian journalist Rahul Pandita took to Twitter to censure Shah and wrote "I think there is merit in the theory that beyond a certain age man should just withdraw from public life. If they insist on staying on, their family should make them do it."

A historian from Sindh Dr Sorath Sindhu wrote on his Twitter account, "Naseerudin Shah should know that our Sindh province has an old Sindhi Literature Board and rich Sindhi media. Even other nations in Pakistan can let you know Sindhi is widely spoken. I get it some have an issue with the Sindhi language in Pakistan as they had an issue with Bengla [sic]".

https://twitter.com/i/status/1665962325235449858

Several local journalists deplored Naseeruddin Shah's approach towards the history, saying that he was "not in his senses" while he gave this highly controversial statement. Some said this would lead him, a celebrated and well-respected actor, to humiliation only in Pakistan but in his own country as well, which is home to over 3.8 million Sindhis, some of whom holding high-ranking position in state governments.

It has been noted during the past few years that Shah is denounced several times by Indian media for criticising iconic actor Dilip Kumar after the latter's death, as well as his friend from his early days in Bollywood, Anupam Kher. Moreover, Shah is rarely invited to any television show owing to what Indian journalists call his "haughty and erratic attitude".
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