Actors’ favourite words in their mother tongue

On International Mother Language Day, &TV artists share their favourite words in their mother tongue that they enjoy using in everyday conversation and share how others react to them. These include Neha Joshi (Yashoda, Doosri Maa), Kamna Pathak (Rajesh, Happu Ki Ultan Paltan), and Saanand Verma (Anokhe lal Saxena, Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai). Neha Joshi essaying Yashoda in &TV’s Doosri Maa, says, “I am a proud Marathi Mulgi and love expressing my feelings in my mother tongue. Right from childhood, anytime I got hurt or was caught in a situation, my first reaction would be ‘Aai Ga’! Asking ‘Kasa Kay’ to check on someone holds a unique closeness value. The beauty of saying these words is their tone; the same flavour does not come with any other language. Something I love about Marathi is that whenever you go out, you never say ‘jaate me’ or ‘I am going out’; instead, you say ‘yete me’, meaning ‘I will come back’. It is a lovely way of reassuring that even though I am going out now, I will be back soon.”

Kamna Pathak, essaying Rajesh in &TV’s Happu Ki Ultan Paltan, says, “There are too many things I love about Indore, including food and fashion, of course, the people. But one thing I love the most is my mother language. ‘O Bhaiyo’ (Arey Bhai) is a word I often use with my friends whenever they prank or tease me. Besides Indore’s language, the Bhopali language influences me, and I love using it daily. Also, on the sets of Happu Ki Ultan Paltan, most of them have often found me using these words like ‘Kya Bapar rahe ho?’ (Kya vapar rahe ho?) and it is very funny when people get confused about my Indori dialect. Some Indori words like Chaka-Chak (Cool), Dijain (Making a fool of someone), and Ni Yaar (Oh Really?) I use it so much that everyone on the set has also started using it. I take immense pride in my language, and so should you! Wish you all a happy International Mother Language Day.” Saanand Verma, essaying Anokhe lal Saxena in &TV’s Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai, says, “No matter how far away I am from Bihar, there is something about my mother tongue that never loses its appeal. It is common for people to find me using words like 'Baklol', which means stupid in English. I used to hear my father and his friends use this word when I did something stupid or did not study. Nevertheless, I adapted this funny word to many of my films and made my co-stars use it. I remember any time I say ‘Bhag Baklol’ when I am angry, everyone around me bursts into laughter, making me laugh too! I believe everyone finds it comfortable to express all their emotions in their mother tongue, and that’s why it’s important to celebrate International Mother Language Day.”

Watch Doosri Maa at 8:00 pm, Happu Ki Ultan Paltan at 10:00 pm, and Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai at 10:30 pm, airing every Monday to Friday only on &TV!