Amitabh Bachchan, who was recently presented the Hridaynath Award for his contribution to Hindi cinema, told the audience at the event that the next time he is honoured at a similar gathering, he will definitely deliver his speech in Marathi.
Before Bachchan stepped on stage, Hridaynath Mangeshkar addressed the gathering in Marathi. He said that he chose to speak the regional language because his Hindi isn’t as strong as the actor’s.
In response, Bachchan said, "Meri Hindi itni achchi nahi hai. Lekin yeh main unhe ashwasan avashya dena chahta hun ki agli baar jab kabhi iss tarah ka sammelan hoga toh main Marathi mein hi bolunga (sic). (My Hindi isn’t that great. But I’d like to assure him that the next time I am at a similar gathering, I will definitely speak in Marathi)."
The actor went on to concede that he is still in the process of learning the language. "Abhi main shikshit ho raha hu, aur jab tak main puri tarah se (Marathi) bol naa paoon, main aisa manta hu ki woh niradhaar hoga, isliye main maafi chahta hu (sic). (I am learning Marathi; and till the time I cannot speak it fluently, I think it would be unfair of me to speak the language, so forgive me for not doing so.)"
