Veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has come out in support of Rashmika Mandanna amid the ongoing debate over her Hindi accent, calling out what he described as “fake and baseless linguistic superiority”. Reacting to the criticism directed at the actor, Akhtar challenged those questioning her pronunciation to try speaking a few lines in Tamil themselves. His remarks come after Rashmika opened up about facing online trolling over her accent on Koffee With Karan Season 9, where she appeared alongside her husband, Vijay Deverakonda. The actor said she refuses to let such criticism limit her work across film industries.
Javed Akhtar Supports Rashmika Mandanna Amid Accent Trolling
Veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has come out in support of Rashmika Mandanna amid the criticism surrounding her Hindi accent. Calling out what he described as “fake and baseless linguistic superiority”, Akhtar questioned why people judge the actor for her pronunciation instead of appreciating her work.
Taking to X, Akhtar wrote, “Those who have any problem with the pronunciation of Tamil actor Rashmika should be given a few lines of Tamil which is the oldest spoken language in the world and let’s see how well they pronounce Tamil. This fake and baseless linguistic superiority is not acceptable.”
Javed Akhtar via X
His remarks come after opened up about facing online trolling over her accent and language skills on Koffee With Karan Season 9, where she appeared alongside her husband, actor Vijay Deverakonda.
Meanwhile, the comments section pointed out one mistake as Javed Akhtar called Rashmika a Tamil actor and reminded him that she is a Kannada actor.
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Rashmika Mandanna On Facing Criticism Over Her Accent
Speaking on the show, Rashmika revealed that has followed her throughout her career. From her acting performances to the languages she speaks and her accent, the actor said she has faced trolling over several aspects of her work. However, she has never wanted such comments to restrict her professional choices.
“Ever since I started working in the film industry, you know, I’ve been criticised or trolled for one thing or the other, like either my performance, or the language, or the acting, or just the accent, or anything. So for me, I never wanted to sort of put a barrier for myself. I didn’t want to just work in one industry. I wanted to work in them all. I didn’t want to speak just one language. I wanted to speak all languages,” she said.
The actor explained that she wanted to explore different film industries and languages rather than confining herself to one particular space. For Rashmika, experimenting with diverse roles and working across industries has been an important part of her journey as a performer. Addressing the criticism surrounding her Hindi pronunciation, Rashmika said she does not understand why having a South Indian accent should be considered a problem. She pointed out that her accent reflects where she comes from and that there is nothing unreasonable about it.
Rashmika Mandanna
“I particularly didn’t have an issue with that because they said I had a South Indian accent, but I am from the South of India. So I am going to have an accent. It’s unreasonable to think otherwise,” she stated. The actor’s remarks highlight the debate around linguistic diversity in Indian cinema, where performers frequently work in languages other than their mother tongue. Akhtar’s response has similarly drawn attention to the tendency to judge people for their pronunciation while overlooking the challenges of speaking another language.