Bengali actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, who is all set to feature in the upcoming action flick, Maalik, has responded to the criticism over his Bengali language comment at the trailer launch event. He stated he was misunderstood
Prosenjit Chaterjee
Actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, who will next be seen in the Rajkummar Rao-starrer Maalik, recently found himself caught in a controversy after his comments at an event went viral. The actor reportedly snapped at a journalist while attending an event after the journalist asked him a question in Bengali. His comment did not sit well with many users on social media, leading to backlash. Now, the actor has responded to the controversy and clarified his stance.
Prosenjit Chatterjee Bengali language controversy
On July 1, 2025, the actor, along with the remaining team of Maalik, was seen attending the trailer launch event of the film in Mumbai. At the event, one of the journalists reportedly asked the Bengali actor about his cop avatar in Maalik, which is different from his previous roles in Bengali cinema. He was also asked about how he feels about Rajkummar stepping into the shoes of cricketer Sourav Ganguly in the upcoming biopic, which is based on the former cricketer’s life.
As the reporter asked the questions, Prosenjit replied, “Why do you need to talk in Bengali?” After videos of the moment from the Maalik promotional event went viral, Prosenjit became the topic for a meme fest, attracting a lot of backlash from users online. One frustrated user on the internet, originally in Bengali, wrote, “Why ask questions in Bengali, huh? Even though I’m Bengali — oh! How shameful, how embarrassing."
Prosenjit's statement
Prosenjit took to his Instagram account to clarify his stance. He wrote in Bengali, “In the last few days, something that I said, a sentence of mine, has created quite a stir. I am here to talk about it. I have been working in Bengali for the last 42 years. In the last few years, there have been opportunities for me to work at a national level, and in lieu of that, I was present at the trailer launch of Maalik in Juhu PVR for a media interaction. Whoever from the cast and crew was present on stage was mainly interacting in English. A journalist from Bengal asked me a question in Bengali. I have known that person for a long time. But at that time, I felt that if I replied in Bengali, then the others wouldn't be able to understand what I was saying, because there were many who did not know the language. That is why I asked what was the point in asking the question in Bengali?”
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He further added, “Now that the specific sentence of mine has been shared, there have been many who are hurt by it. I am also hurt, I am still hurting. Because I did not anticipate the response to my statement. Perhaps I was not able to state my perspective with the use of some English words. I think it was a misunderstanding that started from there. Because I cannot even imagine of insulting my mother tongue even in my worst nightmares. Bengali is the language of my life and love. Bengali is the language of my soul, the language of my love. But the judgment of Bengali people has always been paramount to me, and it always will be, till my last breath. Lastly, I must say that I understand that my words have hurt many of you, and for that, I am sorry. I have shared with you the context and my thoughts of the situation.”
Notably, Prosenjit plays a crucial role in Maalik, which also stars Rajkummar Rao and Manushi Chillar. The film is an action drama which is all set to hit screens on July 11.
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