‘Hindi film industry not over’: Manoj Muntashir says Bollywood will be ‘back with a bang’ if filmmakers start speaking the language
As the debate on pan-Indian films in the Indian landscape grows, many celebrities have chimed in with their thoughts on why Hindi films are not doing wonders across the country as opposed to films like RRR, Pushpa: The Rise and KGF Chapter 2. Hindi film lyric writer Manoj Muntashir has also shared his thoughts on the debate and said that people working in Hindi movies don’t speak the language, which is probably why the films are suffering.
In a tweet written in Hindi, Manoj wrote, “It’s good to read and know English, but the day Hindi filmmakers start speaking in Hindi everyday, the soul of our films will rise. Hindi film industry is not over, and it will never be. They just need to self-reflect, we will be back with a bang.”
अंग्रेज़ी पढ़ना और जानना अच्छा है, लेकिन हिंदी फ़िल्में बनाने वाले जिस दिन रोज़मर्रा की ज़िंदगी में हिंदी बोलना शुरू कर देंगे, हमारी फ़िल्मों में आत्मा अपने आप उतर आएगी. हिंदी फ़िल्म उद्योग न समाप्त हुआ है न कभी होगा. बस थोड़े से आत्म-मंथन की ज़रूरत है, हम नगाड़ा बजा के लौटेंगे.
— Manoj Muntashir (@manojmuntashir) May 3, 2022
Earlier, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui said that those who are making Hindi films don’t cast actors who can speak the language. At the Times Now Navbharat India Economic Conclave, the actor said that Bollywood is slipping is because the moviemakers are casting English speaking actors for Hindi speaking roles. “This is the problem that actors from small towns are facing; roles that should have gone to them are going to actors who don’t even know Hindi,” he said.
The actor said that the crews in the regional industries are proud of their language, which he believes is not the case with Hindi cinema. “South mein kya hai, Tamil mein baat karte hain, proud feel karte hain. Kannada hain toh Kannada mein baat karte hain… Saare writers bhi Kannada mein baat kar rahe hain, director bhi, saare local hain. Sabko samajh aa rahi hain sabki baatein (In the South, Tamil crews are proud of their language. Kannada screenwriters, directors all speak in Kannada. They understand what’s being said on set),” he said.
Manoj Munstashir was recently seen on the Sony TV reality show India’s Got Talent.
