Mumbai, July 28, 2025:
A video from Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray’s birthday celebration at his Bandra residence, Matoshree, has sparked online criticism after a Hindi song was played during the cake-cutting ceremony.
The popular Bollywood track “Baar Baar Din Yeh Aaye” played in the background as Thackeray, surrounded by party members, family, and supporters, cut his birthday cake. The choice of a Hindi song, however, didn’t sit well with several netizens, who questioned the use of Hindi given the Shiv Sena’s long-standing advocacy for Marathi pride and opposition to Hindi imposition in Maharashtra.
Social media users pointed out the irony, with one commenting, “Uddhav Thackeray celebrates his birthday with a Hindi song—can someone compose a Marathi birthday song instead?” Others defended him, saying the issue isn’t with Hindi as a language, but with its forced dominance over regional languages.
The criticism comes shortly after Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS successfully pressured the Maharashtra government to roll back a policy mandating Hindi as a third language in schools.
Meanwhile, the event was also politically significant as Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray visited Matoshree after over 13 years to wish Uddhav, fueling speculation of a possible political thaw between the estranged cousins.
