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YouTube user Mahi Khan posted a video of the incident and said that the woman threatened to confront him when he landed in Mumbai after he refused to speak Marathi because he did not know how to speak Marathi.
YouTuber Mahi Khan (right) said in a video that the encounter with the woman (left) happened on a flight from Kolkata to Mumbai. (Photo: @mahinergy/Instagram)
In a now-viral video, a YouTuber recorded his encounter with a woman on board an Air India flight, where she allegedly threatened him because he did not know how to speak Marathi.
The confrontation took place on a flight between Kolkata and Mumbai, and the female passenger demanded that the YouTuber, identified as Mahi Khan, know how to speak Marathi if he was visiting Mumbai.
The woman, who was wearing a T-shirt with a Hyundai logo, allegedly threatened to confront Khan upon landing in Mumbai after he refused to speak Marathi as he did not know how to do so. But there is no information about what caused the confrontation and why it broke out in the first place.
He posted the video clip from his Instagram account, “Mahinerji,” saying that such people exist in a country that prides itself on “its unity in diversity.”
Watch the video here:
Khan also alleged that the woman insisted that travelers to Mumbai should know the local language, which led to the crew intervening but no further action was taken. Social media reactions to his video were divided between condemning intolerance and supporting Marathi pride, while Air India and Hyundai are yet to comment on the matter.
“Speak in Marathi or leave Mumbai. That’s what this lady told me on Air India flight AI676 today, before threatening me for saying ‘I don’t understand Marathi,'” Khan said in his video. “Yes, this happened in the year 2025 in a country that proudly says ‘unity in diversity’. I sat on seat 16A and started shouting that I have to speak in Marathi as I am traveling to Mumbai.” (sic)
He said he calmly notified the crew and responded, “Kya badtameezi hai yeh (What kind of impudence is this)?” He said she threatened: “I’ll show you what badtameezi He is.”
He added: “I recorded everything because this is not just about me, it’s about a mentality that has become dangerously normal. You can’t force a language you can’t respect with bullying.”
He asked Air India to take strict action against “such people”, suggesting that they should be banned from flying in the future as they make other passengers feel “unsafe” and “humiliated” by “merely speaking a different language”.
“Let’s make sure this is not ignored,” he added.
Mentioning both Air India and Hyundai, many netizens commented on the viral video demanding a public apology from Hyundai.
Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor working on the rewriting and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism ranges from editing and reporting to writing impactful articles.Read more
Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor working on the rewriting and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism ranges from editing and reporting to writing impactful articles. Read more
23 October 2025 at 11:17 PM IST
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