Rashmika Mandanna hits back at 'insulting' accent trolls: Why she refuses to apologize for her roots.

Rashmika Mandanna has often found herself at the centre of online criticism over her accent. But the actor says she has never wanted such comments to limit the kind of work she takes up. Speaking on the latest episode of Koffee With Karan season 9 where she appeared with her actor-husband Vijay Deverakonda, she opened up about the trolling she has faced, her decision to work across film industries and why she sees no reason to be defensive about her South Indian roots. She also spoke about the satisfaction of playing very different characters in Animal and The Girlfriend.

Rashmika Mandanna on facing criticism

Rashmika said that criticism has followed her since the beginning of her career. From her acting to the languages she speaks, she has faced comments about several aspects of her work. However, she never wanted those opinions to dictate her career choices or stop her from exploring different industries.

"Ever since I started working in the film industry, you know, I've been criticised or trolled for one thing or the other, like either my performance, or the language, or the acting, or just the accent, or anything. So for me, I never wanted to sort of put a barrier for myself. 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," she said.

The actor added that she began experimenting with different kinds of films early on because she wanted to challenge herself as a performer. Playing characters with contrasting personalities has been part of that plan, and the difference between Animal and The Girlfriend is something she particularly appreciates.

"So very early on in my career, I started doing all kinds of films. So today, when I'm a part of a brilliant film like an Animal and a Girlfriend, it gives me great satisfaction as an actor. Yeah? You know, because I'm like, I'm able to play them all. So today, when you say, okay, there's a Girlfriend and there's an Animal, like it's so different, but you're a part of both of them. I'm like, I wanted it that way," she added.

Rashmika Mandanna on the criticism over her Hindi

Rashmika's Hindi dialogue delivery has repeatedly drawn attention on social media, with some viewers questioning her accent in Hindi films. The debate resurfaced after the release of the horror comedy Thamma in 2025 and Cocktail 2 in 2026. Her performances in Animal, Chhaava and Sikandar also attracted similar reactions.

Rashmika, however, said she does not understand why having a South Indian accent should be treated as a problem. "I particularly didn't have an issue with that because they said I had a South Indian accent, but I am from the South of India. So I am going to have an accent. It's unreasonable to think otherwise," she stated confidently.

Why Rashmika wants to dub for herself

The actor also spoke about dubbing for her own films in different languages. She said she is open to the idea of a dubbing artist stepping in if a director feels another voice would suit the character better. However, her directors have so far preferred that she dub for herself.

"But every film that I'm a part of, of course, I go and give this option to my directors, saying I'm 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. So I was like, it was a pride for me because if I'm able to dub in all these languages by myself, that's a lot of hard work. But at the same time, if I could do it, there's nothing like that, you know," she said.

Rashmika Mandanna's upcoming films

Rashmika has several projects lined up across Hindi and South Indian cinema. She was recently seen in Homi Adajania's Cocktail 2. She also reunited with Vijay Deverakonda for the period action drama Ranabaali.

Her other upcoming projects include Mysaa, a female-led action-adventure, and Raaka, Atlee's sci-fi fantasy starring Allu Arjun, which is expected to move into production in 2027.