According to a passenger on Air India, a fellow traveler threatened him for not speaking Marathi. The incident happened on an October 23 Air India flight from Kolkata to Mumbai. Mahi Khan posted video of his verbal altercation with his fellow traveler, an unnamed woman who reportedly began threatening him since he didn't speak Marathi.
In a video that Khan posted on Instagram, the woman was heard saying, "You should know Marathi if you're going to Mumbai."

A dispute about Marathi
Khan claimed in his Instagram video that the woman threatened him when he refused to communicate in Marathi.

"You're saying that I have to communicate in Marathi?" The woman said, "Yes," in response to his question. You should speak Marathi if you're visiting Mumbai. On camera, the woman declined to reveal her identity.

Khan stated in the video that he phoned the Air India crew for assistance after confronting her about her misbehaviour. The woman said, "I'll show you what badtameezi is (I'll show you what misbehaviour is)," threatening him in front of the crew.

He wrote in the caption, "She sat on seat 16A and started shouting that I have to speak in Marathi because I'm flying to Mumbai." "I'll show you what badtameezi is," she said as I calmly said, "Kya Badtameezi Hai Yeh."
Khan told viewers directly in a video taken after the encounter that the woman had threatened him. In 2025, he also asked what mindset might lead someone to force language restrictions on another individual.

"I took notes on everything. Because this is about the mindset that is becoming dangerously typical, not just about me," he added. Language cannot be forced. Respect cannot be bullied.

The Air India employee urged the airline to take strong action against the woman as he concluded his post.