The viral clip, posted by Mahi Khan, who also goes by the name Mahinergy, purportedly shows the unidentified woman saying, “Yes, please do that. You are going to Mumbai, you should know Marathi.”
‘Will show you what badtameezi is’
The situation escalated when Khan calmly refused and called the cabin crew for assistance. Khan said, “What kind of misbehavior is this? She is telling me to speak Marathi. What is this?”
He alleged that the woman then threatened him, saying in Hindi, “Get down at Mumbai, I’ll show you what badtameezi (misbehaviour) is.” The woman was wearing a shirt with a Hyundai logo. He added, “Air India mein ye badtameezi ho rhi hai and aise log travel kar rahe hai. (This kind of misbehavior is happening on Air India flight, and such people are travelling.) What kind of mentality is this?”
On Instagram, he wrote, “Speak Marathi or leave Mumbai. That’s what this lady told me on my Air India flight AI676 today, before threatening me for saying ‘I don’t understand Marathi.’ Yes, this happened in 2025, in a country that proudly says ‘Unity in Diversity.’”
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“She was sitting in seat 16A and started shouting that I must speak in Marathi because I’m flying to Mumbai. You cannot force someone to speak a language. You cannot bully someone out of respect,” he wrote further.
In his social media post, Khan wrote: “This isn’t just about me, it’s about the mindset that’s growing dangerously normal. You cannot force a language. You cannot bully respect.” Mahi Khan urged Air India to take strict action, saying, “No passenger should feel unsafe or humiliated for simply speaking a different language.”
Social media reacts
Several social media users condemned the incident as being against Maharashtrian culture. One comment noted, “We are Maharashtrian and this is not our culture. It’s totally wrong to force someone to speak Marathi.”
The post sparked reactions online, with one social media user even tagging Hyundai India, demanding a public apology and stating that the incident was a matter of the company’s brand integrity.
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The incident has sparked widespread attention after a woman, reportedly wearing a Hyundai-branded shirt, was involved in a heated confrontation over language. Social media users quickly tagged the carmaker, demanding accountability and a formal apology. Comments poured in, with one user tweeting, “@hyundaiindia we need a public apology. This is a question of your brand integrity,” while another added, “What kind of people are working for you??? Please take necessary action!”
Many viewers criticized the woman’s behavior, saying it does not represent the true spirit of Maharashtrian culture. “We are Maharashtrian, and this is not our culture. Forcing someone to speak Marathi is totally wrong. India is known for its diversity; just because someone is flying to Mumbai doesn’t mean they must speak Marathi,” one user remarked.
Several others emphasized that language should unite, not divide. “Language was meant to be a bridge between people, not a wall that divides them,” noted one comment. Another user condemned the act, saying, “This is absolutely disgusting behaviour. People like her are hell-bent on dividing our country. She must be held accountable.”
The post Air India passenger marathi: ‘Will show you what badtameezi is’: Air India passenger onboard Kolkata-Mumbai flight threatened for not speaking Marathi. Watch viral video appeared first on Veritas News.
