Rashmika Mandanna praised for being herself as actress Madhoo recalls hiding her South Indian accent for 35 years

Actress Madhoo has praised Rashmika Mandanna for confidently embracing her South Indian identity after facing criticism over her accent. Recalling her own early years in Bollywood, Madhoo said she spent decades trying to hide her accent because she feared being judged. She added that Rashmika’s approach to the same criticism impressed her, as the younger actress appeared comfortable with who she is.

Madhoo shared her thoughts in a video posted on Instagram as part of her I Am in Love series. She spoke about watching Rashmika’s appearance on filmmaker Karan Johar’s talk show Koffee with Karan and said the actress’s response to comments about her pronunciation was refreshing.

Madhoo admires Rashmika Mandanna’s confidence

Madhoo said she liked the way Rashmika handled the discussion around her South Indian accent. Instead of appearing embarrassed or trying to defend herself, Rashmika acknowledged her roots and treated the criticism with humour.


The actress said, “I recently saw Rashmika Mandanna's show Koffee with Karan Season 9, and the way she dealt with her accent criticism, I just loved it. She laughs about it, she accepts it, she owns it, calls herself a South Indian and says, ‘So, I am a South Indian and I have a South Indian accent.’ And she's so cool about it and I am really in love with that."



Encouraging Rashmika to continue being herself, Madhoo said the actress had a strength that she deeply admired. She added that Rashmika’s confidence was particularly striking because Madhoo herself had taken many years to reach a similar level of acceptance.

Rashmika had addressed the criticism during Koffee with Karan, explaining that she did not see her accent as a problem. Since she comes from South India, she said, having a South Indian accent should not surprise anyone. She also questioned why people expected her to speak without the influence of her linguistic background.

Madhoo recalls trying to hide her South Indian accent

Looking back at her early days in Hindi cinema, Madhoo said she was conscious of how people might judge her for being South Indian.

She said, "Many, many years ago, when I became a Hindi film actor, I was so afraid of the judgements I was getting, and thought I would get, for being a South Indian. I worked harder and harder. I tried to get an Urdu teacher and bettered myself in Hindi, doing anything and everything so that I wouldn’t get caught out because of my accent.”


At the time, she felt proud whenever someone complimented her Hindi, particularly when they said she spoke it as well as, or even better than, a native speaker. However, she now looks back at that phase differently.

Madhoo said she has gradually become comfortable with her identity and no longer feels the need to hide her accent. She explained that accepting herself as a South Indian, including the way she speaks Hindi, was a journey that took her around 30 to 35 years.

Comparing her experience with Rashmika’s, Madhoo said the younger actress seemed to have reached that point of self-acceptance much earlier. She praised Rashmika for owning her identity, laughing off criticism and continuing to carry herself with confidence.

Javed Akhtar also defends Rashmika amid accent criticism

Madhoo is not the only prominent voice to have supported Rashmika. Veteran screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar also came out in the actress’s defence after the discussion around her Hindi pronunciation gained attention.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Javed Akhtar challenged those criticising Rashmika’s pronunciation to try speaking Tamil themselves. He questioned the attitude behind judging someone’s language skills and described such behaviour as an expression of linguistic superiority.

The discussion follows Rashmika’s comments on Koffee with Karan, where she spoke about facing online criticism over her accent, language and performances.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Rashmika Mandanna was recently seen with Vijay Deverakonda in Ranabaali.