Bhopal, June 17: More than any other medium, Hindi films played a major role in popularising the national language across the country, senior BJP leader L K Advani said here today.
“When I came from Karachi after spending 20 years (there), I was able to read and write English and Sindhi only, but I used to speak and understand a little bit of Hindi mainly due to the cinema,” Advani said, in his speech after inaugurating Madhya Pradesh Drama School here.
“Hindi cinema played a major role in popularising the national language in the country than any other medium.”
He also said that though Mumbai is a non-Hindi speaking area, Hindi cinema grows in that city alone.
Congratulating Madhya Pradesh Government for setting up country's first drama school after the prestigious National School of Drama (NSD), Advani said that it would be better if other states also created similar facilities in different areas.
Advani also asked the management of the drama school to give opportunity to students belonging to all parts of the country, as at present it is dominated by the students from Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.
Advani advised the school to create opportunities for theatre in other languages too, and promote multi-disciplinary theatre art.
The senior BJP leader also said the state capital should have a bigger auditorium than the present one. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on this occasion that his government would do everything possible to conserve and promote art and culture in the state.
The State Culture Minister Laxmikant Sharma, noted theatre and film director Vijayaa Mehta and BJP's national secretary Vani Tripathi were also spoke on this occasion.
Former Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, Najma Heptullah and former RSS supremo K S Sudarshan were also present. PTI
