Noted lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has apologized on X after misidentifying actress Rashmika Mandana as a Tamil actress and defended herself against criticism over her Hindi pronunciation.
what is happening
Javed Akhtar admitted the mistake after social media users told him about his linguistic background.
“I’m sorry I was wrong. I don’t know him personally and coincidentally his only film was in Tamil. Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada is not the issue. If someone speaks our language, even with a certain accent, we should appreciate it. Btw, how many of us speak English with a proper accent? How would we like it if an Englishman makes fun of us?”
I’m sorry I was wrong, I don’t know him personally and coincidentally the only movie he’s seen in Tamil was in Tamil. Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada is not an issue. If someone speaks our language even with a certain accent, we should appreciate it. How many of us speak English with a perfect accent? How would we like it if an Englishman made fun of us?
— Javed Akhtar (@javedkhatarjadu) October 25, 2026
background
The controversy started when Akhtar spoke out against people making fun of Rashmika’s accent. He challenged his critics to try reciting lines in Tamil before judging someone else’s language skills.
“Those who have a problem with Tamil actress Rashmika’s pronunciation should be given a few lines of Tamil, the oldest spoken language in the world and let’s see how well she pronounces Tamil. This fake and baseless linguistic superiority is not acceptable,” he wrote on X.
While several users appreciated her support for Rashmika, others corrected her reference to her as a Tamil actress, explaining that she is a Kannadiga with roots in Kodagu, Karnataka.
One user replied, “He is Kodagu and Telangana Telugu Kodalu. But appreciate your support for linguistic minorities in this country.”
Akhtar acknowledged the correction in a terse reply: “I’m right.”
Another social media user pointed out that the actor’s career spanned several South Indian film industries, writing, “Even Javed Saab, despite his endorsements, seems ignorant of South Indian nuances. Rashmika is a Kannadiga (from Coorg) and works in all South Indian languages, reflecting the richness of our diverse cultures!”
A third user agreed with Akhtar’s stand against linguistic discrimination but highlighted the mistake in identifying Rashmika’s mother tongue.
“Your heart is in the right place but your recognition of the actress’ mother tongue is not. Your point is well taken though. That’s all that matters,” the user wrote.
Another comment described Rashmika as a “Kannada actress working predominantly in Telugu films”.
The discussion also saw one user make a light-hearted observation about the tendency to group people from different South Indian states under one identity. Thanking Akhtar for supporting Tamil, the user wrote, “Thanks for supporting the Tamil language. I’m still laughing because he might be from the era where everyone in the south was called ‘Madrasi’. Yes, Tamil is one of the oldest languages if not the oldest,” the comment read.
After the corrections, Akhtar issued an apology to X and stated that he did not know Rashmika personally. He also clarified that his was the only film he had seen in Tamil.
Rashmika has acted in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Hindi cinema, building a career that has spanned several film industries. The actor has recently faced online scrutiny over his Hindi pronunciation, with the latest controversy following his appearance. Koffee With Karan Season 9Where she was seen with her husband Vijay Deverakonda.