Mumbai, Maharashtra (May 23, 2025): The language issue in Mumbai has once again sparked debate, as incidents involving Marathi and non-Marathi speakers continue to rise in the city. A new video from Ghatkopar, a suburb in Mumbai, has gone viral on social media showing a Marathi-speaking customer forcing a worker at a small farsan shop to speak in Marathi. The incident took place on Sunday afternoon at a small farsan shop. In the video, the customer is seen threatening the worker, saying, “Marathi shik re,” which means “Learn Marathi.” The shopkeeper replies calmly, saying he does not know Marathi. The customer then responds aggressively, saying “Nahi tar dhanda band kar” (Then shut your business), “Shutter bandh karu kya tera?” (Should I shut your shop shutter?) Despite repeated threats, the shopkeeper stays calm. He explains that learning a language in just two or three days is not possible. He says, “Marathi thodi aayegi ek do din mein,” which means “How can someone learn Marathi in just a day or two?”
Throughout the video, the shopkeeper maintains a respectful tone while the customer continues to speak in a harsh and threatening manner. The man further warned that he would return in 10-15 days to check if the worker had learned Marathi. He also asked the worker to inform his employer. Throughout the video, the worker remained respectful and tried to explain the difficulty of quickly learning a new language.
This is not the first such incident in Mumbai. Earlier this month, a Domino’s delivery worker had a similar argument with a customer over the use of Marathi. The delivery boy later apologised in the presence of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena workers.
In May, another video surfaced showing a heated argument between a man and a young woman at a roadside ice cream stall over the use of Marathi.