Akshay Kumar’s Iconic Monologue from ‘Namastey London’ Sparks Debate 17 Years Later

Before Akshay Kumar’s Bollywood career shifted toward a “nationalism” narrative, he starred alongside Katrina Kaif in the 2007 film ‘Namastey London’. The film featured a notable monologue where Kumar’s character, Arjun Singh, passionately lectures Brits about India’s cultural diversity, religious harmony, and its significant achievements. Seventeen years later, this once-admired scene has sparked a debate on social media.

The powerful monologue is delivered in response to a comment about “snake charmers” made by Katrina Kaif’s fiancé at a yacht dinner party. The translated speech highlights India’s belief in the divine presence in everyone, its democratic values, and contributions to the world, stating: “When we greet one another, we fold our hands in namaste because we believe that God resides in the heart of every human being. We come from a nation where we allow a lady of Catholic origin to step aside for a Sikh to be sworn in as Prime Minister by a Muslim President to govern a nation of over 80 percent Hindus. It may also interest you to know that many of the origins of your English words come from Sanskrit. For example, ‘maatra’ becomes ‘mother’, ‘bhratra’ becomes ‘brother’, ‘giamiti’ becomes ‘geometry’, and ‘trikonniti’ becomes ‘trigonometry’. We have 5,600 newspapers, 35,000 magazines in over 21 different languages with a combined readership of 120 million. We have reached the moon and back yet you people still feel that we have only reached as far as the Indian rope trick. We are the third largest nation in the world of doctors, engineers, and scientists. Maybe your grandfather didn’t tell you that we have the third largest army in the world. And even then, I fold my hands in humility before you because we don’t believe that we are above or beneath any individual.”

Watch the monologue from ‘Namaste London’:

However, the pride that this speech once inspired regarding India’s inclusivity and pluralism has shifted over time. When Mohit Chauhan, a user on X, shared the video reminiscing about an India that “was beautiful,” he faced significant backlash. One commenter expressed frustration, stating, “The problem with you is you can welcome the PM of any other religion in the world but not an unapologetic Hindu. We were the same people who applauded all secular moves; however, when we noticed your reaction on a Hindu PM, then eyes opened, how misled we were!! No more games, be real!!”

Another user pointed out, “The lady…is of foreign origin, was forced to step aside because Mulayam Singh refused to extend support to her. The President was elected by the @BJP4India govt of ABV. The [PM] was the puppet in the office of the lady.”