Actor Sai Pallavi has come under social media scrutiny after a video of her struggling to speak Hindi at a promotional event went viral, sparking debate over her casting as Sita in the upcoming film Ramayana.
The incident occurred during a musical event in Mumbai held ahead of the release of her film Ek Din. Addressing the audience, Sai Pallavi acknowledged that her Hindi “is not that great,” which led to a wave of criticism online.
Some users questioned her casting in Ramayana, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, arguing that fluency in Hindi should be a requirement for the role. Others raised concerns about whether her voice would be dubbed in the film.
However, several users defended the actor, noting that language barriers are common in the film industry. Comparisons were drawn to actors like Katrina Kaif and Jacqueline Fernandez, who have worked in Hindi cinema despite not being fluent speakers.
Supporters also pointed out that actors often learn dialogue phonetically and that performance, rather than conversational fluency, is what matters on screen.
Despite the online debate, Ek Din continues to generate buzz ahead of its May 1 release. Directed by Sunil Pandey, the film is backed by Aamir Khan, Mansoor Khan, and Aparna Purohit under Aamir Khan Productions. It also stars Junaid Khan alongside Sai Pallavi.
The film is a remake of the 2016 Thai movie One Day and follows a man who gets a chance to live out a single day with the woman he loves.