Dhanush recently returned to his alma mater, Thaai Sathya Matriculation School in Chennai's Saligramam, to inaugurate a new three-storey academic block that he funded. It was a nostalgic occasion for the actor-producer as he studied at the institution from LKG until Class 10 before completing his higher secondary education elsewhere. Following the inauguration, Dhanush addressed students and faculty members where he stressed on the importance of young children gaining fluency in their own mother tongues, especially Tamil, before English.
Speaking at the event, Dhanush reflected on a phase when he struggled to speak English fluently, admitting that his speeches were filled with mistakes and lacked coherence. "When we were studying in school, our English would sound bad. We would use sentences like, 'Why did he went?'. However, our Tamil game was strong. Now, the scenario has completely changed. The students and youngsters I meet today have a strong grasp on English, but 8 out of 10 people don't know how to read and write Tamil. This is very saddening to see," he said.
He further went on to recollect an incident from a film shoot years ago that altered his perspective on the same. "I had worked in a French production a couple of years ago where the movie was shot in Belgium. They were surprised to know that I know English. When I asked them the reason behind their surprise, they told me, 'You should be knowing your mother tongue, but English is a bonus.' You need to know and learn your mother tongues first. It is not an act of pride to say that you don't know Tamil. In fact, it is an insult," he added, reminiscing memories about his Tamil teacher at the occasion.
The speech, which has now gone viral has reignited speculations on his political entry after his recent fiery speech at a blood donation drive organised by his fans.
The newly built facility, named the Dhanush Block, was inaugurated on Tuesday in the presence of the actor, his former classmates, teachers and family members.
On the work front, Dhanush was last seen in Vignesh Raja's Kara. He has a number of films in his pipeline. His next, Om (D55), with director Rajkumar Periasamy will also star Mammooty, Sreeleela and Sai Pallavi. It is currently in its final leg of shooting. His next, D56 will be directed by Lubber Pandhu director Thamizharasan Pachamuthu. He is also set to reunite with Mari Selvaraj after Karnan for a film which will feature music by AR Rahman. It was also recently announced that Dhanush and Vetri Maaran will join hands once again for Thamizh Murugan. Noted author Arivumathi will serve as the film's writer.
