Saba Qamar: English is a status symbol in our society.

A fter last year's controversy over
Pakistani actors working in Indian films,
another actor from Pakistan, Saba Qamar,
will be making her Bollywood debut with
the upcoming film Hindi Medium. Actor
Fawad Khan was part of the 2016 hit Ae Dil
Hai Mushkil. The political outfit Maharashtra
Navnirman Sena threatened that it would
not allow the film's release. The film could
release only after the filmmaker said that he
wouldn't work with Pakistani actors
anymore. Qamar's film should stir no
trouble. Set for release on May 12, it is a
funny take on the class divide created by
the knowledge of the English language in
India.
WATCH THE TRAILER OF HINDI MEDIUM
Qamar has worked in many successful films
and over 20 serials in Pakistan. Among her
most popular roles are in TV series Jinnah
Ke Naam and Dhoop Mein Andhera Hai. In
the film Hindi Medium, Meeta (Saba) and Raj
(Irrfan Khan) are playing a middle class
couple from Delhi, desperate to get their
daughter admitted to an English medium
school as part of their attempt to be upper
class.
"It is everyone's story. We are ashamed of
our native language, be it Punjabi or Urdu,"
said Qamar in an email interaction with HT.
"If you make mistakes while speaking your
native languages, no one will say anything.
But if you say one word incorrect in English,
people will treat it like a crime. It is wrong
to judge a person based on the language
they know."
In the trailer of the film, Qamar's character
is seen saying, "English is not only a
language in this country. It is class. The best
way to be part of this class is to study in a
good school."
The actor said there is another sequence in
which Irrfan's character says, "If a foreigner
speaks wrong English, it is all right. But if an
Indian makes a mistake while speaking
English, it is considered a crime."
She said that in real life, she has seen lots of
parents who are conscious about their
children's education, especially their
knowledge of English. "I believe the reason
for this is that English is not just a language
but a status symbol in our society," she
said.
Qamar took classes to get her the Hindi
dialect right. During the shooting of the
film, a coach used to be with her on the set.
"I am an actor and I don't have any
language barrier. If I get a Tamil film, I will
learn the language. It's not a problem. Irrfan
has gone out and worked in Hollywood and
even I want to go places and do good
work," she said.
The actor said that she was surprised to
see how deeply involved Indian actors and
audiences are with cinema. "Here on Friday,
people discuss movies at the dinner table. I
was very impressed ki log kitne involved
hain and how their life is about Bollywood.
In Pakistan, people are not that crazy. We
are a little relaxed ki ho gaya toh ho gaya
nahi hua toh fine (it is good if you get it
right. Otherwise it is fine),"

http://m.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/saba-qamar-english-is-a-status-symbol-in-our-society/story-XRIX93wnEObz3VgiqWR7dM.html.

I love how Pakistani actors actively speak about how Urdu and Punjabi is losing the importance..

It really bothers me that being able to speak fluent English equates to being more educated. Sick of people calling the Punjabi language gawaar/ illiterate.