Youngsters Are Not Interested In Hindi Anymore

Neena Gupta, along with Mihir Ahuja, discusses their upcoming film Hindi-Vindi, her greediness to work in films, and more

- SHREYAS PANDE

In Hindi-Vindi, Mihir Ahuja plays a young musician living in Australia who has lost touch with his mother tongue—Hindi. So, when he gets on a call with his grandmother (Neena Gupta) back home in India, the two cannot communicate with each other; he doesn’t know Hindi, and she cannot speak English. In a bid to speak with her, he decides to learn Hindi. Although the film talks about the Indian diaspora, exploring the loss of language in the new generation, there is much to resonate for those living in Northern India as well. A lot of Hindi-Urdu words are not heard in Bollywood films today. Neena feels that society is changing in a way that is affecting the films as well. “People in Mumbai don’t read in Hindi as much, they prefer reading in English. Hindi is looked down upon,” she says.