“What is Putra Moh?”: Saif Ali Khan Gets Shamed Online for Not Knowing “Basic” Hindi on KWK
A unique sight occurred last Thursday when the legendary sofa welcomed a dynamic mother-son combination for the first time in the most recent episode of “Koffee With Karan.” The highly talked-about tenth edition of Karan Johar’s eighth-season discussion show included the seasoned Sharmila Tagore and her son, the well-known actor in the Hindi cinema business Saif Ali Khan. Saif’s apparent difficulty with basic Hindi, despite being a well-known actor in the Hindi film business, garnered notice and perhaps infuriated Bollywood fans, even though other scenes from the program had previously made news.
As it happened, KJo emphasized the special relationship that exists between a mother and her son. The 79-year-old actress, however, stepped in and said, “It’s Putra Moh.” Seen to be confused, Saif intervened, wondering whether “Putra Moh” was Bengali and wondering what it meant. Startled, his mother shot back, saying, “Excuse me, you are a Hindi actor.”
After that, everything started to slowly come apart as Sharmila Ji carefully explained the meaning to Saif and KJo. Although the guys immediately realized that “Putra” meant “son,” their ostensibly “intelligent” minds were perplexed by “Moh’s” enigmatic character. They first assumed it was “My son,” and Saif even made the suggestion that it had anything to do with “Gulmohar.” But Sharmila Ji could take no more of it, and she disclosed that the word “Moh” truly means attachment, which made Saif and KJo both very happy.
Is it really true? Sharmila Ji and the audience were shocked to see a well-known Hindi actor and a renowned director struggling with language skills, and they quickly expressed their disgust on social media.
“Hindi actor, Moh is not Gulmohar. Moh translates to “attachment,” as in “Moh Maya, Ye Moh Moh ke dhaage….,” a user on the microblogging platform “X” chastised. “I would have smacked him on TV if my son was an acclaimed Hindi movie actor and he acted dumb like that,” said another irate spectator.
A fourth person added, “Sidhi saadi bhasha but these “Hindi” actors/producers do not know everyday words,” while a third user shouted, “You won’t believe when i tell you one of them is Hindi movie actor and other is Hindi movies maker,” joining the chorus of condemnation. How depressing?
A captivating scene from the broadcast also caught viewers’ attention, when Sharmila Ji discussed Saif and Amrita Singh’s divorce. She discussed the aftermath of the breakup as a “not so harmonious time” and discussed the difficulties of letting go of a long-term and deeply loved relationship. “No breakup is easy when you’ve been together for so long and have such beautiful kids. Then, it’s not in harmony. I am aware that everyone is hurting at that point, so maintaining unity is tough. Although that stage wasn’t great, I tried. However, that’s beside the point; she need some time to calm down.
She went on to say that the family was going through a difficult time because in addition to losing Amrita, they were also saying goodbye to Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan, Saif’s children.
