Veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has apologised on X after incorrectly identifying actor Rashmika Mandanna as a Tamil actor while defending her against criticism over her Hindi pronunciation.
What's Happening
Javed Akhtar acknowledged the mistake after social media users pointed out her linguistic background.
"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. If someone speaks our language, even with a certain accent, we should appreciate that. Btw, how many of us speak English with a perfect accent? How would we like it if any Englishman made fun of us?"
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 . Telgu , Malayalam Kannada is not the issue . If some one speaks our language even with a certain accent we should appreciate that . Btw how many of us speak English with a perfect accent . How would we like if any English man makes fun of us
— Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) October 25, 2026
Background
The controversy began when Akhtar spoke out against people mocking Rashmika's accent. He challenged those criticising her to try pronouncing lines in Tamil before passing judgment on someone else's language skills.
"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," he wrote on X.
While several users appreciated his support for Rashmika, others corrected his reference to her as a Tamil actor, explaining that she is a Kannadiga with roots in Kodagu, Karnataka.
One user responded, "She is Kodagu and Telangana Telugu kodalu sir. But appreciate your support for us linguistic minorities in this country."
Akhtar acknowledged the correction with a brief reply: "I stand corrected."
Another social media user pointed out that the actor's career spans multiple South Indian film industries, writing, "Even Javed Saab, despite his support, appears unfamiliar with South Indian nuances. Rashmika is a Kannadiga (from Coorg) by roots and works across all South Indian languages, showing the richness of our varied cultures!"
A third user agreed with Akhtar's stand against linguistic discrimination but highlighted the error in identifying Rashmika's native language.
"Your heart is in the right place but your identification of the actress's native language is not. Your point is well taken though. That is all that matters," the user wrote.
Another comment described Rashmika as "a Kannada actor working predominantly in Telugu films".
The discussion also saw a user make a light-hearted observation about the tendency to group people from different South Indian states under one identity. Thanking Akhtar for his support for Tamil, the user wrote, "Thanks for the support to Tamil language. I am still laughing as he may be from the era where everyone in south was called 'Madrasi'. Yes, Tamil is one of the oldest languages if not the oldest," the comment read.
Following the corrections, Akhtar issued an apology on X and explained that he did not know Rashmika personally. He also clarified that the only film of hers he had watched was in Tamil.
Rashmika has worked across Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Hindi cinema, building a career that spans several film industries. The actor has recently faced online scrutiny over her Hindi pronunciation, with the latest discussion following her appearance on Koffee With Karan Season 9, where she appeared alongside her husband, Vijay Deverakonda.
