Prosenjit explains ‘why Bengali’ remark at Maalik event after trolling

As innocuous remark has landed actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, one of Bengali cinema’s biggest stars, in trouble with netizens, after he wondered aloud why a journalist needed to “talk in Bengali” at an event 10 days back.

The incident happened when Chatterjee was sharing the stage with the cast and crew of upcoming Hindi film Maalik at its trailer launch. He was the only Bengali among the likes of Rajkummar Rao and Manushi Chillar when a journalist asked a question in Bengali.

The actor laughed, asking, “Why do you need to talk in Bengali?” when Rao chipped in and offered to translate, and he did correctly, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.

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Clarification after trolling

However, Chatterjee’s remark did not go down well with many netizens. After facing relentless trolling, the actor has now issued a clarification — in Bengali — on his Instagram handle, saying that he had no intention to “insult his mother tongue”.

“I have been working for the past 42 years, mostly in Bengali. In the last few years, there have been opportunities for me to work at the national level. It was for one of those films that I was present at a trailer launch in Juhu PVR for a media interaction,” he wrote in the post.

“The cast and crew members on the stage were mainly interacting in English. However, a journalist from Bengal asked me a question in Bengali. I have known her for a long time and am very fond of her. But at that time, I felt that if I replied in Bengali, the others would not be able to follow what I was saying, because there were many who did not know the language. That is why I asked her why she was asking the question in Bengali,” he explained.

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No context

He noted that the controversy had erupted from clips of him showing him asking the question without the context. “I understand that many have been hurt by the literal meaning of the sentence. I am also hurt; I am still hurting. Because I did not anticipate this kind of response to my statement. Perhaps my intention was not clear through those few English words, which created a misunderstanding,” the post goes on.

Chatterjee asserted that he “cannot imagine insulting [his] mother tongue even in [his] worst nightmares”. “Bengali is the language of my life and love. But the judgment of Bengali people has always been paramount to me, and it always will be, till my last breath,” he said.

“…I understand that my words have hurt many of you, and for that, I am sorry. I have shared with you the context and my thoughts about the situation,” the post reads.

Chatterjee plays a meaty role in action-drama Maalik, which is all set to hit the screens on Friday (July 11).