In a striking display of hypocrisy and opportunism, actor Suriya, known for his vocal opposition to so-called Hindi imposition in Tamil Nadu, hailed his family’s move to Mumbai for better opportunities while promoting his film, Kanguva, in Hindi.
This sharp contradiction raises eyebrows, especially considering his past stance against Hindi in Tamil Nadu, where he even slapped a character onscreen for speaking the language.
Suriya Looks North For Opportunities
Virtue-signalling actor Suriya is back in the news with his “empathising” nature being hailed in an interview with Anupama Chopra for The Hollywood Reporter.
When asked if it was true that he and his family moved to Mumbai because Jothika was working on a web series, Suriya replied, “I can be very open and say this. At the age of 18-19, she shifted to Chennai, and for almost another 27 years, she was in Chennai. It was only 18 years in Mumbai and almost 27 years in Chennai and she was with me, with my family, and gave up her career, her friends, and relatives, her Bandra lifestyle, everything was given up when she was in Chennai. She is happy spending time here, she is happy again spending time here with her parents after 27 years. Like whatever a man needs, a woman also needs that. I think I am a pretty late bloomer when it comes to understanding. She needs those vacations, she needs those friends, she needs financial independence. She needs respect, she needs her gym diet, and she needs fitness.
Whatever we crave for, I think they equally need it. And why take away her time from her parents, her lifestyle, and what she loves to do, and when are we going to make that change? Why is it always I me myself, is what the thought was. I am happy to see that growth in her, as an actor also, My kids also, they were part of an IB school, there are only one or two IB schools in Chennai, they have subjects that they love to do, and it is a blessing when kids are studying well, they want to really grow out and excel and get good at it. We saw a lot of opportunities here, there are a lot of IB schools here in Bombay, so we shifted here. I am balancing between Chennai and Bombay. I take away for at least 10 days in a month, I don’t shoot at all, 20 days I don’t mind doing 18-20 hours shifts, I am ok, I can work, but 10 days I do not do anything, there is no appointments, no phone calls, there is no office. It is just quiet here in Bombay, but of course, I meet a few of my industry friends here otherwise, there is no office-office happening here in Bombay. I am happy to walk with my daughter at the park or go for a drive or an ice cream, take my son for basketball…“
தமிழகத்தில் இருக்கும் போது #ஹிந்திதெரியாதுபோடா . இவர்கள் வீட்டுக் குழந்தைகள் IB ஸ்கூலில் படிப்பார்கள். விரும்பிய மொழிகளை கற்பார்கள். ஆனால் தமிழ் நாட்டின் அரசுப்பள்ளியில் படிக்கும் குழந்தைகள் 3 வது மொழி படித்து விடக்கூடாது.
இந்தப் விளம்பரப் போராளிகள் பேச்சுக்கு ஃபயர் விடுபவர்கள்… pic.twitter.com/r73GLr2AAa
— ShreeTV (@ShreeTV1) October 29, 2024
Notably, the same Suriya championed the Hindi Theriyadu Poda campaign pushed by the DMK and other Dravidianists in Tamil Nadu. Suriya opposed teaching Hindi to students in Tamil Nadu and is also known for featuring a scene in his film where a North Indian man is slapped for speaking Hindi.
Recently, Suriya even journeyed to Mumbai and Delhi to promote his upcoming movie Kanguva in Hindi. This starkly reveals his & his family’s hypocrisy as they publicly criticize the language preventing others from benefiting from it in Tamil Nadu, all while lining their own pockets.
Suriya’s Hindi Opposition Stunt To Appease DMK
The husband-wife duo has indulged in virtue-signalling the public over Hindi, over building hospitals and schools instead of temples in the past. Here is a look at their past actions.
In 2019, Suriya opposed the National Education Policy’s three-language system. However, when it came to his own film, Kanguva, he posted on his social media X handle in six languages, including Hindi, to promote the film. Suriya had argued that the policy, imposed Hindi on non-Hindi-speaking states and disadvantaged rural students.
After all the talk about Hindi imposition, Suriya and his family including his wife Jothika and two children moved to Mumbai in March 2023 into a ₹70 crore apartment. And now in the interview, we are told that they wanted to make use of opportunities, study what they wanted, and excel in life.
In his film, Jai Bhim, in the Tamil version, there is a scene where a character gets slapped for speaking in Hindi. In the scene, Prakash Raj, who plays the role of a police officer, slaps a north Indian (who has been stereotyped as a ‘Marwari’ Seth) for speaking in Hindi and asks him to speak in Tamil. This scene is however absent in the Hindi version of the film. Many pointed out that this was deliberately done to appease the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu, the party which is known for inciting hatred in the name of a non-existent ‘Hindi imposition’.
Prakash Raj with his propaganda in the movie ‘Jay Bhim’ where he slaps a person who speaks in Hindi. pic.twitter.com/1SwPVssbK7
— Amit Kumar Sindhi (@AMIT_GUJJU) November 2, 2021
He is known for his anti-NEET stance when he claimed it filters away those aspiring to study medicine but Suriya’s hypocrisy shines through his teeth when one looks at the selection process for students seeking financial help for higher education through Agaram Foundation run by the actor. According to the Agaram Foundation’s website, they have a rigorous scoring system in place to identify ‘deserving’ students. This requirement contradicts the stated mission of promoting education and social equality.
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