When Malayalam actor Prithviraj posted a status update on Facebook recently, the responses the post received was in stark contrast to the comments he normally receives.
Sharing a photograph of his workout at the gym, the actor posted saying- “When you want to have choru, meencurry and pappadam for dinner (When you want to have rice, fish curry and pappad for dinner).
Though Prithviraj looks visibly upset about it in the photograph, it was probably the first time that his fans were elated as the actor had indeed switched to Malayalam to post an update on his Facebook page.
Praises rained down on the actor for ‘finally’ posting something that the Malayalis could decipher. The actor's status updates on Facebook has many a time been pronounced "incomprehensible" by his audience.
Don’t believe us? Sample some of the Facebook posts and the comments:
Internet trolls are never kind to anyone, but when it comes to actor Prithviraj, the only reason he seems to be getting trolled on social media is for his “(over) proficiency in English”.
It remains to be a matter of wonder how, for the Malayali audience who quite worship the English-speaking on screen actors such as Jayan, Suresh Gopi and Mammootty, the new generation actor’s proficiency in the language failed to have impressed them.
The Malayali audience still get goose bumps on hearing the evergreen actor Jayan rendering an English dialogue in the 1980 movie Angadi: “May be we are poor, coolies, but we are not beggars…”
And also love Mammootty’s bomblastic English.
So why is it that actor Prithviraj finds himself at the receiving end of ridicule for the very same reason?
It is highly likely that while actors like Mammootty and Suresh Gopi restricted display of their English proficiency strictly to their films, the clock seems to be ticking the other way for Prithviraj.
Now is there a pattern in how Prithviraj, who has over the years attained credibility as a popular actor in Malayalam film industry and other language films, continues to be trolled?
Here’s why.
Year 2011. A few days after his “private wedding”, the actor gave an interview to a leading regional channel along with his wife.
Not even a decade into his acting career then, Prithviraj was not as popular as he is now, at the time.
His wife's statement that Prithviraj was one of those South Indian actors who has a good command over the English language, was misinterpreted beyond measure. The tag has since then stuck with the actor.
The interview has gone down in history, as one that has immensely contributed to the reputation the actor now holds.
This has also given rise to umpteen number of memes on the internet, and even videos on Youtube titled ‘Prithviraj speaking English’.
This is a modified version of an article published in Fullpicture.in. You can read the article here.