Madhoo and Javed Akhtar defend Rashmika Mandanna's accent

Koffee with Karan appearance triggers scrutiny

The scrutiny of Mandanna’s Hindi pronunciation followed her appearance on the television program Koffee with Karan Season 9. She appeared on the show alongside her husband, Vijay Deverakonda.

Mandanna addressed the criticism during the episode, stating she did not consider her South Indian accent a problem. "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," Mandanna said.

Javed Akhtar challenges linguistic superiority

Lyricist Javed Akhtar defended Mandanna against the criticism, labeling it as baseless linguistic superiority. He initially misidentified Mandanna as a Tamil actor, an error for which he later apologized on X.

Social media users clarified that Mandanna is a Kannadiga with roots in Kodagu, Karnataka. Akhtar acknowledged this correction, stating, "I stand corrected".

Akhtar previously challenged critics to try pronouncing lines in Tamil, which he described as the oldest spoken language in the world. He questioned the hypocrisy of the criticism, asking, "Btw, how many of us speak English with a perfect accent? How would we like it if any Englishman made fun of us?".

Regarding his previous identification, Akhtar noted, "I am sorry I was wrong I don't know her personally and incidentally the only film have seen of hers was in Tamil but Tamil. Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada is not the issue". He argued that if someone speaks a language, even with an accent, others should appreciate the effort.

Madhoo reflects on her own 35-year journey

Madhoo said it took her 35 years to embrace her South Indian accent. When she started as a Hindi-film actor, she feared judgment regarding her regional identity.

She hired an Urdu teacher and worked harder to improve her Hindi to avoid public scrutiny. She felt flustered if someone detected an accent in her tone and felt proud when people told her she sounded better than a native speaker.

Madhoo shared in a social media caption that she is now proud to be a South Indian. She added, "Rashmika, great power to you, girl! I just loved that you own it, laugh about it, and you are truly a star".

Rashmika Mandanna's career across Indian cinema

Mandanna has established a career working across the Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi film industries.

Madhoo praises Rashmika's confidence

Madhoo discussed watching Mandanna's appearance on Koffee with Karan in a video shared as part of her I Am in Love series. She praised the way Mandanna responded to the criticism regarding her accent.