Didn't mean to start any riot, debate: Kichcha Sudeep on language row
New Delhi(PTI): South star Kichcha Sudeep has said he had no intention to spark a debate with his comments on Hindi as he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for calling Indian languages the soul of 'Bharatiyata'.
Last month, Sudeep was involved in a Twitter exchange with Bollywood star Ajay Devgn over his remarks that Hindi is "no more our national language" which later snowballed into a larger debate about Hindi imposition vs preserving India's linguistic diversity.
On Friday, during his virtual address to BJP office-bearers, PM Modi said the party considers all Indian languages worthy of reverence, a statement that overwhelmed Sudeep.
"I didn't mean to start any riot or any kind of debate. It just so happened without an agenda. It was an opinion I voiced. It was an honour and a privilege to see the certain lines come out of the Prime Minister's mouth," Sudeep told NDTV in an interview.
"When he himself makes a statement... Everybody who looks upon their language with regard and respect, it's an overwhelming thing to see him speak this way," he added.
The 48-year-old actor said PM Modi's statement was a "warm welcome towards all languages".
"I am not just representing only Kannada, I'm talking about... everybody's mother tongue has been respected today with those few statements from the Prime Minister and that is where I was coming from that day. We don't look at Narendra Modi as just a politician, we look at him as a leader as well," Sudeep said.
In his virtual address, the prime minister said it is the BJP that has linked India's cultural and linguistic diversity with national pride.
"Giving priority to local languages in the National Education Policy manifests our commitment to all regional languages. The BJP considers Indian languages the soul of Bharatiyata and the link to a better future for the country," PM Modi said.
"I want to mention this especially because attempts have been made in the recent past to create new controversies on the basis of language. We have to constantly alert the people of the country about this," he added.
In the interview, Sudeep said his remarks about Hindi, which led to a sharp reaction from Devgn on Twitter, were not directed towards any language or anybody particular.
"I come from a film fraternity and we don't feel nice only when South films are called pan-India. It's got nothing to do with Hindi per se. It is our country and we are trying to reach out to everybody as cinemas have opened to all languages and every viewer and every state wants to see a film as long as it is good," he added.
Sudeep said when "certain segments" were called pan-India, it didn't go "well with me".
"It had nothing to do with ego or any kind of emotions. It's just the fact that pan-India, whether it is coming from south or from Hindi industry, as long as you're dubbing your films in other languages, it should be called pan-India," the actor said.
Sudeep, who is popular for starring in South films like "Sparsha", "Huchcha", "Nandhi", "Veera Madakari", "Eega" and "Pailwaan", is also known for his performances in Hindi movies like "Phoonk", "Rann" and "Dabangg 3".
He is currently awaiting the release of 3D mystery thriller "Vikrant Rona". Directed by Anup Bhandari, the movie will be released in six languages -- Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and English.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
