New Delhi: Rashmika Mandanna has often faced criticism for her accent in Hindi films, including Animal, Thamma, and Cocktail 2. Her way of speaking has also become the subject of memes, with social media users commenting on her diction and the perceived lack of clarity in her speech.
During her recent appearance on Koffee With Karan (KWK), Mandanna addressed the criticism, making it clear that she had never viewed her accent as a problem.
When Karan Johar asked whether comments about her accent in Hindi films had bothered her, the actress said, “I particularly didn’t have an issue with that because they said I had a South Indian accent, but I’m from the South of India. So I am going to have an accent.”
‘I wanted to work in all industries’
Mandanna explained that she had always wanted to work across film industries and learn multiple languages. Since the beginning of her career, she has received both praise and criticism for various aspects of her performances, including her acting, language and accent. However, she did not want such opinions to limit the opportunities she pursued.
“I didn’t want to just work in one industry. I wanted to work in them all. I didn’t want to speak just one language. I wanted to speak all languages. And so very early on in my career, I started doing all kinds of films,” she said.
The actress revealed that she has consistently given her directors the option of getting another artist to dub for her if they felt it was necessary. However, none of them chose to replace her voice.
“Every film that I am a part of, of course, I go and give this option to my directors, saying I am not the one who’s going to feel bad if you want to dub with someone else, you know? But none of my directors actually wanted to dub with someone else. They wanted me to dub for myself,” she said.
Mandanna described the experience as “a matter of pride”, highlighting the effort involved in dubbing her performances in multiple languages.
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Vijay Deverakonda on her accent
Later, during the rapid-fire round, Johar asked Mandanna which rumour she would like to spread about herself. The actress replied, “That I am from Mumbai.”
Her husband, actor Vijay Deverakonda, was quick to join in, joking about the criticism of her accent. “Her accent is great. It’s the original Mumbai Hindi accent. Everything else is not the right accent,” he said.
(Edited by Maryam Hassan)