How stars from other states became fluent in Kannada

Non-Kannadiga artistes who have embraced Kannada shared their experiences of learning the language. Rajyotsava, the day Karnataka was formed, is being celebrated across the state even as you read this story.

‘Takes consistent effort’

Actor Priyanka Upendra, who moved from Mumbai to Bengaluru in 2003, took a liking to the language during her early days in the Kannada movie industry. “My interest in Kannada grew after I got married. I had a few personal reasons too. For example, my mother-in-law spoke only Kannada. Plus, I wanted to connect with the audience. It was important to me,” she tells Metrolife. Originally from Kolkata, the actor spent her childhood in the United States and Singapore.

She started learning the language through conversations with her co-actors, and staff while on the sets.

“Some of the music I listened to also helped. I really enjoy songs like ‘Jotheyali jothe jotheyalli’ and ‘Naa ninna bidalaare’. My Kannada is still not perfect but I make a consistent effort to keep brushing up on it,” says the 45-year-old. She believes addressing audiences in the language is important, as it creates an instant connect.

“Even when I’m attending an English show or event in Karnataka, I make it a point to address the crowd in Kannada first. I’d speak in Bengali if I was in West Bengal. There is beauty in the language, and as artistes, we need to promote it,” she adds.

‘I’m a self-proclaimed Kannadati’

Sixteen years ago, when actor Ragini Dwivedi moved to Bengaluru, she felt right at home. “The people here are really warm and welcoming. They’re willing to teach you, if you’re willing to learn. So, thanks to the welcoming nature of the people, learning Kannada was a cakewalk for me. I’m a self-proclaimed Kannadati,” she says. The actress hails from a Punjabi family.

Her advice to anyone wanting to pick up the language is, “start talking, even if what you’re saying doesn’t make sense sometimes.” “Despite struggling with broken Kannada initially, I refused to give up. Only if you practice will you learn a skill properly,” says the 33-year-old.

‘Important to know the mother tongue’

Hailing from Trivandrum, Kerala, freelance theatre and film director Joseph John aka Joseph Ninasam was inspired by the works of U R Ananthamurthy and Devanur Mahadeva, to learn to read and write Kannada.

“I started learning Kannada when I was studying in Ninasam, located in Sagar, in 1998. But I was influenced to pursue the language further due to these writers. I was also inspired by the works of Girish Karnad,” says the 47-year-old.

Currently, Joseph writes Kannada scripts for theatre and film, and also translates Malayalam books to Kannada and vice versa. “Kannada to me came easy because I was already fluent in Malayalam. If one is fluent in one’s language, other Indian languages are easy to pick up. Only a little effort is required. But the sad part is, nowadays people don’t put in the effort and prioritise English,” he adds.

‘No proper avenue to learn Kannada’

For the past two years, actor Pooja Gandhi has been taking classes to learn to read and write Kannada. “Having lived in Karnataka for 17 years, I can speak the language fluently, but I never got the chance to learn to read and write. Two years ago, I decided to sign up for classes. I first learnt the basics, then moved on to a fifth grade teacher, and so on. I even joined a Kannada coaching class, where, in addition to language, I also learned other subjects in Kannada,” she elaborates. The actress comes from a Punjabi and Hindi speaking family.

The 40-year-old has fallen in love with Kannada literature, and her favourite body of work is that of 12th century philosopher and poet Basavanna.

“But it wasn’t easy. When I started learning Kannada, I realised that the city doesn’t have many avenues for those who want to learn the language. This needs to change,” she says.