Rishab Shetty Reveals He Learnt Hindi When He Was Producer's Driver, Reacts To Language Row During Kantara Chapter 1 Promotion - EXCL

Rishab

Shetty, the Kannada superstar who charmed audiences with Kantara Chapter 1, recently opened up about his early struggles in the film industry and addressed the controversy that erupted during the film’s promotional event in Hyderabad. In an exclusive chat with Zoom, Rishab spoke candidly about how he began learning Hindi and clarified his stance on the language debate that had stirred social media.

How did Rishab Shetty learn Hindi?

Rishab shared that his path to learn Hindi was not easy, “Teen-chaar mahine mein idhar ek production house mein office boy ka kaam kar raha tha. 2008 mein, and producer ka driver tha main. So wahi teen-chaar mahine mujhe zyada pagaar nahi mila usse udhar. Kuch bhasha seekhne ke liye mila.”(“For three to four months, I was working as an office boy in a production house. In 2008, I was the producer’s driver. During those three to four months, I didn’t get much salary there. It helped me learn Hindi.”)He reflected on his early experiences, adding that his language skills were limited then, which explains why he wasn’t as polished in communication initially. “Matlab isiliye shayad wo isse pehle utna accha nahi tha. Abhi bhi utna accha nahi hai. Lekin wo promotion shuru kiye hum Kantara ka. Wahi interview karte karte thoda better ho gaya,” he said.(“That’s probably why I wasn’t as good before. Even now, I’m still not that good. But when we started the promotions for Kantara, doing interviews helped me improve a little.”)

Rishab Shetty reacts to Telugu-Kannada controversy

The actor then addressed the recent language row that occurred during the Hyderabad pre-release event. Fans had expressed disappointment when Rishab chose to speak primarily in Kannada despite Telugu superstar Jr. NTR being present. Rishab clarified, “Main Hyderabad mein gaya tha. Hyderabad jaake main udhar NTR sir humko 2 states - Andhra Pradesh and Telangana ke log ko introduce karne ke liye wo launch pe pre-release event mein leke gaye the.”(“I went to Hyderabad. There, NTR sir took us to the pre-release launch event to introduce us to the people of two states – Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.”)He continued, "Udhar mein kya hota hai to hamara perspective ye hoga main Kannadiga hoon main proud Kannadiga ka hoon. Mera bhasha ke baare mein, mera culture ke baare mein, mera Bharat ke baare mein bahut proudly main feel karta hoon. To agar main mere bhasha ke upar main respect karta hoon. Proud feel karta hoon. To doosra language ke upar mera wohi feel hoga. Wohi respect main de sakta hoon.”(“From our perspective, I am a Kannadiga and proud of it. I feel proud of my language, my culture, and my India. If I respect my own language, I can extend the same respect to other languages as well.”)He further elaborated on his linguistic capabilities, saying, "Ye Hindi Tamil wo thoda-thoda English jo baat karta hoon main poora soch poora Kannada mein hota hai hamara. To aapse main Hindi mein baat kar raha hoon. Mera soch Kannada mein hi hai. Haan udhar hi thoda translate karke baat karta hoon.”(“The little Hindi, Tamil, or English I speak – I think entirely in Kannada. That’s why I’m talking to you in Hindi. My thoughts are in Kannada, and I just translate them a little while speaking.”)Rishab also highlighted his respect for all languages and industries, stating, “I never disrespect anybody. Bahut izzat karta hoon. Bahut inspiration liya main har har industry se. Telugu ho, Tamil ho, Malayalam, Hindi sab jagah."Watch the whole interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKmVlspfuW0

Rishab makes it very clear that he loves Kannada, but respects every language.