Javed Akhtar Backs Rashmika Mandanna’s Right to Her Accent

When Rashmika Mandanna’s Hindi accent became a talking point again, Javed Akhtar answered with a challenge. The veteran lyricist and screenwriter took to X and said anyone troubled by the actor’s pronunciation should first try speaking a few lines of Tamil.

Akhtar’s post is the latest turn in a debate that has followed Rashmika through several high-profile releases. He did not frame it as a matter of diction or dialogue coaching. He framed it as a question of respect.

Linguistic superiority, called out

In his post, Javed Akhtar wrote that those who have a problem with the Tamil actor’s pronunciation should be given a few lines of Tamil, which he called the oldest spoken language in the world, and see how well they manage it.

“This fake and baseless linguistic superiority is not acceptable,” he wrote.

That phrase matters. It moves the conversation from “can she pronounce Hindi?” to “why is one accent treated as the default?” Indian cinema has always been multilingual, but Hindi film audiences have not always been generous to actors from the southern industries who cross over. Akhtar’s intervention names that double standard directly.

What Rashmika said on Koffee With Karan

Rashmika addressed the criticism in her own words during Koffee With Karan Season 9, where she appeared with her husband, actor Vijay Deverakonda. She said she never understood why a South Indian accent should be a problem when she is from the South.

Her point is simple: an accent is not a mistake. For an actor moving between Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi, some trace of a mother tongue is ordinary. She added that she has offered directors the option of another dubbing artist, but they have consistently preferred her voice.

That detail flips the usual narrative. She is not being cast despite her voice; her voice is part of why she is being chosen.

The films that keep the debate alive

Her Hindi dialogue delivery resurfaces after almost every major release. The list includes:

• Animal, Chhaava, Sikandar, Thamma and Cocktail 2, where reactions to her speech have repeatedly made their way to social media.

Rashmika said the criticism has followed her career, from acting choices to language and accent, but she does not want it to limit her professional choices. She wants to work across film industries and speak multiple languages, not confine herself to one.

Why it matters for fans

For movie fans, this is bigger than one actor. As OTT platforms and pan-Indian releases make film industries less siloed, audiences are hearing more accents, more mother tongues and more actors working in languages they did not grow up speaking. That is not a decline in craft; it is a wider talent pool.

The fair test is whether a performance works on screen. Everything else is often just policing.

Javed Akhtar’s support adds a senior industry voice to a conversation that has mostly played out in comment sections. For Rashmika, the response is both personal and practical: she will keep dubbing, keep moving across industries, and keep the accent that comes naturally.

Source: The Times of India