‘Who are they to judge?’ Javed Akhtar calls out linguistic superiority amid Rashmika Mandanna row

Veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has come out in support of Rashmika Mandanna after the actor spoke about being trolled for her accent, language and acting. Calling out what he described as “fake and baseless linguistic superiority”, Akhtar said those criticising her pronunciation should be challenged to speak a language unfamiliar to them.

Akhtar shared his views on X after Rashmika discussed the criticism she has faced throughout her career during an appearance on ‘Koffee With Karan’ Season 9, alongside her husband and actor Vijay Deverakonda.

“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.

However, a social media user pointed out that Rashmika is not Tamil. The actor hails from Kodagu in Karnataka and has also worked extensively in Telugu cinema. Responding to the correction, Akhtar acknowledged the mistake, writing, “I stand corrected.”

What Rashmika Mandanna said about accent trolling

During her conversation with Karan Johar, Rashmika opened up about the criticism she has faced since entering the film industry. She explained that comments about her performances, language and accent never made her want to limit herself to a single film industry.

“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 told Karan.

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The actor also questioned why having a South Indian accent should be treated as a flaw when it reflects where she comes from.

“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.

Rashmika's remarks have brought renewed attention to the scrutiny actors face over their accents, particularly when they work across linguistic film industries.

Rashmika Mandanna’s recent work

Rashmika was most recently seen in ‘Cocktail 2’, alongside Kriti Sanon and Shahid Kapoor. The actor has built a career across Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Hindi cinema, gaining recognition for her performances in films including the ‘Pushpa’ franchise.

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Akhtar's response has added to the conversation around linguistic prejudice and the expectations placed on actors who work in multiple languages.