Rashmika Mandanna has once again found herself at the centre of a discussion, with Javed Akhtar now sharing his take on the matter.
Lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar has come out in support of Rashmika Mandanna after she spoke about the criticism she has faced over her accent and Hindi dialogue delivery. Reacting on X, Akhtar questioned the idea of judging an actor's pronunciation while highlighting the importance of respecting different languages.
He 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.”
Akhtar's post followed Rashmika's appearance on Koffee With Karan Season 9, where she featured with her husband and actor Vijay Deverakonda.
Rashmika On Criticism Over Her Accent
During the episode, Rashmika spoke about the trolling she has experienced throughout her career. She said that people have commented on several aspects of her work, from her performances and choice of language to her accent.
“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.
She further explained that she chose to explore different industries and languages from an early stage in her career. Talking about Animal and Girlfriend, Rashmika said, “So today, when I'm a part of a brilliant film like an Animal and a Girlfriend, it gives me great satisfaction as an actor. Yeah? You know, because I'm like, I'm able to play them all. So today, when you say, okay, there's a Girlfriend and there's an Animal, like it's so different, but you're a part of both of them. I'm like, I wanted it that way.”
Rashmika Says South Indian Accent Is Natural
Rashmika also explained why she does not consider her South Indian accent something that needs to be changed. She said having an accent is natural and should not be viewed negatively.
“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 said.
Her Hindi dialogue delivery has attracted attention on social media over the years. Similar conversations have emerged around Thamma and Cocktail 2, while her performances in Animal, Chhaava and Sikandar have also drawn reactions from viewers.
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