Veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar has come out in support of Rashmika Mandanna amid criticism over her accent and pronunciation, but his defence has sparked a fresh controversy online.
Taking to X on October 25, Akhtar hit out at those trolling Rashmika and questioned how well they themselves could pronounce words in an unfamiliar language. However, his reference to Rashmika as a “Tamil actor” drew criticism, with several social media users pointing out that she is a Kodava from Karnataka.
“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,” Akhtar wrote.
While his post was intended to challenge linguistic superiority and defend Rashmika from accent-based criticism, the focus quickly shifted to the way he described her regional identity.
Rashmika’s mother tongue is Kodava Takk, and she has worked extensively across Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Hindi cinema.
Several users pointed out the error and accused Akhtar of generalising South Indian identities. One user said Rashmika is a Kannadiga who works across several languages, while another criticised Bollywood for historically stereotyping different regional communities.
Others also questioned Akhtar’s statement about Tamil being the oldest spoken language in the world and argued that the debate should not ignore the distinct identities of South Indian languages and communities.
The controversy comes days after Rashmika addressed criticism over her accent on Koffee with Karan Season 9, where she appeared alongside her husband, Vijay Deverakonda.
She said she never wanted criticism over language or pronunciation to limit her opportunities across different film industries.
Rashmika has previously explained that language has never been a barrier in her career. She has said that she is a Kodava, speaks Kodava Takk as her mother tongue, and treats every language she works in as her own.
While Akhtar’s post was meant to defend Rashmika against pronunciation trolling, his “Tamil actor” reference has now shifted the debate towards regional identity and the importance of recognising the differences among South Indian languages and communities.