Javed Akhtar Defends Rashmika, But Gets Her Region Wrong

Veteran writer Javed Akhtar recently defended actress Rashmika Mandanna, who faced online criticism for her Hindi accent. Akhtar took to social media to dismiss the trolls, challenging them to pronounce Tamil themselves. He mistakenly identified Mandanna as a Tamil actor, which led to widespread corrections from social media users. Many pointed out that Mandanna is from Karnataka and predominantly works in Telugu cinema.

Following these corrections, Akhtar acknowledged his oversight. He responded to the comments on his post with a simple statement, "I stand corrected." Mandanna had previously expressed confusion over why her South Indian accent was being targeted, noting her regional identity.