International Mother Language Day: Theatre artists celebrate India's linguistic diversity

On International Mother Language Day, actors who are well aware of the power of language in communicating complex ideas as well as opening hearts and minds to new perspectives, discuss how multilingual content is exposing audiences to undiscovered literary riches and fresh ideas.

Gulki Joshi: 'It's high time every language got its due'

Television and theatre actor Gulki Joshi, who is a part of Zee Theatre's teleplays Kaalchakra and Purush reacts to the trend of multilingual teleplays and content on the big and small screen and says, "It's high time every language got its due. There are so many states with so many different languages which are unfortunately fading out. Even Hindi is not properly spoken by the new generation and it is important to keep our languages alive."

While her mother tongue is Marathi, She also acknowledges even though her mother tongue is Marathi, she has received education in an English medium school. She says, "My Marathi is not that great. At college, during the semi-finals of a play competition, I goofed up badly in Marathi grammar and mixed up the genders in such a way that the judges and audience were laughing at me. When we were disqualified, I realised I should have paid more attention to my Marathi."

Performing in various languages on stage has made her appreciate India's linguistic diversity even more and she says, "Each language comes with its specific tonality and culture, the story of its origin, the people who are associated with it, and a lot more. Learning a language is a fantastic way of learning more about your country."

Watch Sini Shetty's interview:

Gopal Datt: 'There is no language barrier when stories are translated'

TV actor Gopal Datt who is part of Zee Theatre's anthology Koi Baat Chale also welcomes the trend of multilingual stories and says, "Only in our country do so many languages exist together and each one has its literature that must be shared with people at large. For instance, when you hear stories from Kerala or Bihar, you get to experience the specificities of the regions as well. Without multilingual platforms, we might miss out on a huge part of the literature as they allow us to watch stories in our preferred language, as well as content in other languages."

He also points out that Malayalam cinema has gained popularity all over India due to multilingual platforms and says that theatre too does its bit to introduce people to various literary styles.

Adding that exposure to different languages also fosters a sense of unity and inclusivity among the audience, he says, "The plays of Vijay Tendulkar and Girish Karnad are performed all over India and there is no language barrier when stories are translated. So I think theatre has always brought people together and will do so in the future too."

Shilpa Shukla: 'Multilingual platforms have expanded content choices'

Actor Shilpa Shukla who stars in Zee Theatre's teleplay The Big Fat City believes the trend of multilingual stories has made way for richer content as well. She says, "For audiences who want real substance, multilingual platforms have expanded content choices and now audiences are watching international and regional stories including those from South India as well."

Theatre, according to her, also offers a social commentary and it is even more enriching when audiences can access it in different languages. As she says, "When we watch theatre from all across India, that is when we come to realise the uniqueness and universality of the issues they raise."