Mumbai: Actor Sanjay Dutt made a phone call to transport minister Pratap Sarnaik to issue a clarification following the public backlash over his recent remarks regarding the Marathi language.Attending the prominent Sanskruti Yuva Pratishthan Dahi Handi in Thane, Dutt had jokingly remarked that despite spending six years in Pune’s Yerwada Jail, he had failed to learn Marathi. The comment triggered widespread social media criticism, with netizens asking why language expectations are enforced strictly on taxi drivers but not on celebrities.Dutt initiated the call with “Jai Maharashtra” and spoke fluently in Marathi, said Sarnaik. “Clarifying that his stage remarks were merely lighthearted banter, Dutt expressed regret if his words caused offence. Affirming his deep roots in Mumbai, he stated that Maharashtra had given him everything,” a statement issued by Sarnaik’s office said.Dutt recalled the late Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray, expressing heartfelt gratitude for his unwavering support during his family’s most difficult times, the statement mentioned.
