Voting for 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), began today at 7:30 am (January 15). Like many film personalities, Aamir Khan arrived at a polling booth to cast his vote—but a brief exchange with reporters put language politics back in the spotlight.

What happened at the polling booth

After voting, Aamir Khan spoke to the media in Marathi. A reporter requested that he speak in Hindi as well. Reacting with surprise, Aamir replied:

“In Hindi? This is Maharashtra, brother.”

When told that the clip would be viewed nationwide, including in Delhi, Aamir then switched to Hindi and continued addressing the media.

Aamir’s appeal to voters

Speaking in Hindi, Aamir praised the arrangements and urged citizens to participate:

“The Municipal Corporation has made excellent arrangements here. I request everyone to come out and cast their precious votes. Everything is well-organised—please vote.”

The video quickly went viral, reigniting the long-running Hindi–Marathi language debate in the state.

Celebrities turn out to vote

Ahead of Aamir, his elder son Junaid Khan also voted and appealed to citizens to participate. Several other film personalities were seen at polling stations across Mumbai and Maharashtra, including Akshay Kumar, Ranbir Kapoor, Gulzar, Sanya Malhotra, Nana Patekar, Tamannaah Bhatia, Zoya Akhtar, Divya Dutta, Rakesh Roshan, and John Abraham.