Legendary actor Urvashi recently sparked controversy after she criticised — seemingly playfully — a female anchor for speaking English at a promotional event for her latest movie, Aasha, in Keralam. While some backed the actor, saying she reminded the younger generation of the importance of upholding Malayalam, others pointed out that Urvashi should have avoided doing it in public and could have, if needed, “corrected” the anchor in private.

After it became a hot topic, film producer Supriya Menon also weighed in. Pointing out that attacking people for speaking in English is something she has never been able to wrap her head around, particularly since a large section of Malayalees study in English-medium educational institutions, Supriya wondered how using another language could reduce the glory of our mother tongue.

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Supriya Menon questions ‘constant debate’ over English

In the comment section of a video shared by content creator Carl Lafrenais on Instagram — where he reacted to Urvashi’s remarks and the general habit of many to “make someone feel small for speaking another language” — Supriya wrote, “I don’t understand this constant debate about speaking in English. As someone who has been at the receiving end of this since the time I entered public space here, I am always confused by this.”

She continued, “We send our kids to English medium schools and colleges. Our people move abroad at the drop of a hat, and we form some of the largest diaspora worldwide. Yet when someone speaks in English, why is it considered to be a mark of haughtiness or arrogance? Why must language pride in Malayalam reduce if one communicates in another language? Baffling indeed.”

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‘Am I surprised?’

Although Supriya didn’t mention Urvashi’s name or comment on the acting legend’s actions, many described her words as a reaction to the latter. Carl later responded, saying Supriya was actually commenting on what he said and pointed out that many, including media houses, misconstrued her words without proper context. Reacting to this, she wrote, “Am I surprised? Not really! Twisting words out of context! Nothing new here! But noted media houses not even doing basic fact checks. What a shame, the press here has come to!”

 

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A post shared by Carl Lafrenais (@carllafrenais)

The controversy erupted after Urvashi, during Aasha’s promotions, criticised an anchor for speaking a mix of English and Malayalam while interacting with them. “Aren’t we all Malayalees? I thought you might be speaking in English to Aishwarya Lekshmi because she came busy from Chennai. You’re also attacking me by speaking in English. Why aren’t you reacting, kids? Save me,” she playfully told the gathering. When the anchor, Daksha Raveendranath, replied, “I am the sorry, chechi.” Urvashi quickly added, “It’s not that bad to say sorry. When we are in our land, it’s enough to speak in our language; everyone will understand, right?”

 

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A post shared by Carl Lafrenais (@carllafrenais)

After the incident gained attention, Daksha also responded. Commenting on Carl’s first video, she wrote, “Thank you so much for looking at the moment with such empathy and for understanding the intention behind it. I have immense respect for the artiste involved, but the love and support from people who understood where I was coming from has genuinely meant the world to me. Thank you for speaking up with such grace.”