Naseeruddin Shah reacts after being trolled by Pakistanis for recent comment: ‘Is it necessary to crucify me?’

Naseeruddin Shah 'apologised to the entire Sindhi-speaking population of Pakistan', and asked what was the need to 'crucify' him.

Naseeruddin Shah had recently said that Sindhi language ‘was no longer spoken in Pakistan’. His 'ill informed' statement was criticised by social media users, especially the Sindhi-speaking population of Pakistan. Now, the veteran actor has issued an apology to 'the entire Sindhi-speaking population of Pakistan'. In his latest Facebook post, Naseeruddin Shah said the Sindhi-speakers 'seem to have been deeply offended by his mistaken opinion'.

Naseeruddin Shah at an event. The actor is in news for a recent interview, where he talked about languages spoken in Pakistan. (File Photo)

Naseeruddin Shah's apology

Recently, Naseeruddin Shah found himself at the centre of 'unnecessary controversy' following his claims that Sindhi was not spoken in Pakistan anymore.

On Sunday, he took to his official Facebook page, and wrote, “OK OK I apologise to the entire Sindhi speaking population of Pakistan who I seem to have deeply offended by my mistaken opinion. I admit I was ill informed but is it necessary to crucify me for that? ‘Let him who is free from…’ as Jesus said. Actually I’m quite enjoying being called ‘ignorant’ and ‘pretend intellectual’ after many years of being mistaken for an intelligent person. It’s quite a change!”

Naseeruddin Shah's recent Facebook post.

Naseeruddin's post about Sindhi language 'controversy'

This is not the first time Naseeruddin Shah has reacted to being slammed for his statement about Sindhi language. A few days ago, Naseeruddin had responded to the recent backlash to his remarks on the Sindhi and Marathi languages.

In his Facebook post on June 8, he had acknowledged his misstatements and had written, "Two completely unnecessary controversies seem to have erupted. over things I’ve said recently. One regarding my mis-statement about the Sindhi language in Pakistan. I was in error there." He also also clarified his remarks about the relationship between Marathi and Farsi languages in the same Facebook post.

Naseeruddin Shah had earlier also issued a statement on his recent comments on Sindhi and Marathi languages.

What he had said about Sindhi language

During recent promotions of his web series Taj: Divided By Blood season 2, Naseeruddin talked about various languages that are spoken in Pakistan. The actor claimed Sindhi is no longer spoken in Pakistan.

He had said during an interview with Tried and Refused Productions' YouTube channel, “They have Balochi, they have Bari, they have Siraiki and they have Pushto. Sindhi is, of course, no longer spoken in Pakistan.”

Reactions to his comment

Naseeruddin Shah's statement did not sit well with Pakistanis, who corrected the veteran actor and said it was one of the widely-spoken languages in Pakistan. Naseeruddin was called 'ignorant' by many on social media.

Pakistani actor Mansha Pasha had tweeted, "As a proud Sindhi, who speaks the language within her household, I beg to differ." Pakistani actor Yasir Nawaz shared a video of himself lip-synching to a Sindhi song.