Madhu Praises Rashmika for Embracing Her South Indian Identity

Mumbai, October 26: Actress Madhu has extended her support to Rashmika Mandanna after Rashmika spoke about her South Indian accent on Koffee With Karan. Madhu lauded Rashmika for embracing her roots and responding to criticism with confidence and humour.

Rashmika had earlier talked about facing trolling over her accent, pronunciation and language skills. She said her South Indian background is the reason that particular accent comes out when she speaks.

Madhu shared her views on social media through a video in which she commented on Rashmika's appearance on Karan Johar's talk show. She said she was impressed by how the actress handled criticism of her accent.

"I recently saw Koffee With Karan, and I really liked the way Rashmika took the criticism about her accent," Madhu said. "She laughs at it, calls herself a South Indian and has accepted her accent completely. That is something I truly appreciate."

Madhu also shared her own experience in the Hindi film industry. She said that when she first arrived in Bollywood as an actress, she was very scared of the judgment she might face as a South Indian and worried that people would see through her.

She said she worked very hard to refine her Hindi. She even hired an Urdu teacher and did everything she could so that her accent would not be caught. Whenever someone noticed even a little South Indian inflection in her voice, she would become anxious.

However, she added, when people told her that her Hindi was better than that of native speakers, she felt tremendous pride, and that was a defining part of her journey. Today, she says, she proudly calls herself South Indian and is at ease if her Hindi has mistakes or a South Indian touch. Yet, she admitted, it took her 30 to 35 years to get to this point.

Madhu signed off with good wishes for Rashmika. "Congratulations, Rashmika. I am happy that you embrace it and laugh about it. You are truly a star. Stay the way you are."