'Major' actor Adivi Sesh weighs in on Ajay Devgn, Sudeepa dispute; 'We are Indians first'

Actor Ajay Devgn sparked controversy after expressing his displeasure over Kichcha Sudeepa's alleged statement about 'Hindi' not being the 'national language' while hailing the success of pan-India movies in the recent past. The Singham star replying to his statement asked Sudeepa why would he dub his films in Hindi if it wasn't the 'national language'. After back and forth exchanging tweets with each other, Kichcha Sudeepa explained that his statement might have reached the star out of context and the duo eventually cleared the 'misunderstanding'.

However, the damage seemed to be done as the controversy has spread in different directions with prominent politicians issuing statements to criticize Ajay Devgn. In the latest development, Kichcha Sudeepa has received support from his fellow actors in the South film industry. Adivi Sesh, who is gearing up for the release of his latest film Major, has weighed in on the controversy.

Adivi Sesh: 'We are all Indians first'

In his recent conversation with Hindustan Times, Adivi Sesh emphasized that Bollywood and South industry are one unit. He asserted that none of the members belonging to the acting fraternity want to 'compete' with each other. Sesh stressed the fact that 'we are all Indians first'. He said, 

We are all Indians first. We are not competing with industries. Together, we are one industry. Hindi is the most widely spoken language in India and therefore, the most convenient to communicate. Officially, it’s important to remember that our Constitution has not given any language a national status.

Protest erupts against Ajay Devgn in Bengaluru

Pro-Kannada organisations held photos of Ajay Devgn and protested against him at Mysuru Bank circle in Bengaluru on Thursday, April 28. The activists chanted slogans against the actor while expressing their support for Sudeepa. They also protested against the 'imposition' of Hindi by the government in the non-Hindi-speaking states. The situation had to be tamed by the police by detaining the activists present at the protest.

What incited the Twitter dispute?

During the trailer launch event of R: The Deadliest Gangster Ever, Kichcha Sudeepa happened to have issued a controversial remark about the Hindi language while replying to a question. As per Pinkvilla, the English translation of his Kannada statement was loosely to be, "They are struggling (to find success) by dubbing in Telugu and Tamil, but it’s not happening. Today we are making films that are going everywhere.''

Image: Instagram/@ajaydevgn, @kichchasudeepa, @adivisesh