Entertainment · Indian Cinema · 7 hrs ago
Javed Akhtar Defends Rashmika Mandanna Against Accent Trolling
Javed Akhtar spoke out for Rashmika Mandanna after she was mocked online for her pronunciation and accent.
He said that claiming linguistic superiority was unacceptable.
In his post, Akhtar mistakenly called Mandanna a Tamil actor while referring to criticism of her pronunciation.
A user corrected him, saying she is from Karnataka, and Akhtar accepted the correction.
Mandanna has said her South Indian accent is unsurprising because she is from southern India.
She discussed the criticism on Koffee With Karan Season 9, where she appeared with her husband, actor Vijay Deverakonda.
Javed Akhtar defended Rashmika Mandanna against online criticism of her pronunciation and accent.
He called claims of linguistic superiority “fake and baseless” and said they were unacceptable.
Akhtar initially described Mandanna as a Tamil actor, then accepted a netizen’s correction about her regional identity.
Mandanna has said that having an accent is natural because she is from southern India.
The criticism was discussed after Mandanna appeared with Vijay Deverakonda on Koffee With Karan Season 9.
- Who
- Javed Akhtar defended actor Rashmika Mandanna against accent trolling.
- What
- Akhtar criticized people who faulted her pronunciation and accepted a correction after calling her a Tamil actor.
- When
- October 25, 2026.
- Where
- Akhtar posted his remarks on Instagram.
- Why
- He said that criticizing her accent reflected unacceptable linguistic superiority.
Accent critics
Javed Akhtar and Rashmika Mandanna
Accent criticism
Accent critics
Critics faulted Mandanna’s pronunciation and accent.
Javed Akhtar and Rashmika Mandanna
Akhtar said that fake and baseless linguistic superiority was unacceptable.
Regional accents
Accent critics
Critics expressed objections to her accent.
Javed Akhtar and Rashmika Mandanna
Mandanna said it was unreasonable to expect her not to have an accent because she is from southern India.
Mandanna faced online scrutiny over her accent, including criticism following her appearance on Koffee With Karan Season 9.
Akhtar posted a defense of Mandanna on Instagram, initially calling her a Tamil actor.
After a netizen corrected her regional identity, Akhtar replied that he stood corrected.
- Defender
- Javed Akhtar
- Actor defended
- Rashmika Mandanna
- Date of Akhtar’s post
- October 25, 2026
- Platform
- TV appearance
- Koffee With Karan Season 9
- Other person on the show
- Vijay Deverakonda
2 sources
What people are saying
This fake and baseless linguistic superiority is not acceptable.
I stand corrected.
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.
Posts on X
Those who have any problem with the pronounciation 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.