Prakash Raj slaps Hindi-speaking man in 'Jai Bhim', scene goes viral, sparks Twitter debate

While Jai Bhim is getting rave reviews from all corners, one scene in the movie has sparked debate among netizens. Looks like a section of people are offended by the scene in which Prakash Raj's character slaps a man who speaks to him in Hindi. Many users have claimed that the scene propagates an anti-Hindi sentiment.

One Twitter user wrote, "I am really heartbroken after watching #JaiBhim, nothing against actor or anyone but felt really bad, there is a scene in the film where a person speaks Hindi and Prakash Raj slaps him and tells him to speak in Tamil. Honestly this kind of scene was not needed. Hope they cut it (sic)."

This had, in fact, sparked a debate with outrage from both sides.

As a counter argument, a few claimed that the scene had nothing to do with anti-Hindi sentiment and rather Raj's character, who is a cop in the movie, would have slapped the person if he spoke in any other language. They claimed that Prakash Raj slapped the man for trying to confuse him by speaking in a language that he doesn't understand when the man can speak in Tamil.

One Twitter user wrote, "Hi, the scene is not against Hindi-speaking Indians. The particular character tries to get away by speaking in Hindi (so that Prakash Raj wouldn't understand) and knowing this strategy, he slaps and asks him to speak in Tamil. Tamil filmmakers are not against the language Hindi (sic)."

Directed by Tha Se Gnanavel, Jai Bhim stars Suriya, Lijomol Jose, Manikandan and Rajisha Vijayan. The film, which is based on a real-life incident involving Justice K Chandru from his days as a lawyer, is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.