Javed Akhtar defends Rashmika Mandanna against accent criticism

Lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has defended actress Rashmika Mandanna following online backlash regarding her Hindi pronunciation. Akhtar criticized the criticism as “fake and baseless linguistic superiority,” suggesting that those who judge her accent should attempt to speak Tamil, which he described as the oldest spoken language in the world.

Social media users subsequently corrected Akhtar, noting that Mandanna is a Kannada actress who predominantly works in the Telugu film industry, rather than being Tamil.

Mandanna previously addressed the scrutiny during an appearance on ‘Koffee With Karan Season 9’ alongside her husband, actor Vijay Deverakonda, stating she did not understand why her natural South Indian accent was being questioned.