Madhoo says it took 35 years for her to embrace South Indian identity, lauds Rashmika Mandanna

Madhoo and Rashmika Mandanna. Pics via Instagram

Actress Madhoo has praised Rashmika Mandanna for embracing her South Indian identity and accent, admitting that it took her nearly 35 years to reach the same level of self-acceptance. Madhoo shared her thoughts after watching Rashmika address the criticism she faces over her Hindi pronunciation on Koffee With Karan 9.

Madhoo recalls struggling with accent criticism

In a video shared on social media as part of her ‘I Am in Love' series, Madhoo applauded Rashmika for handling the criticism with confidence rather than letting it affect her. The actress said she admired how Rashmika acknowledged her roots and spoke about her accent without hesitation.

"I recently saw Rashmika Mandanna's show Koffee with Karan, and the way she dealt with her accent criticism, I just loved it. She laughs about it, she accepts it, she owns it, calls herself a South Indian and says, ‘So, I am a South Indian, and I have a South Indian accent.' And she's so cool about it, and I am really in love with that," Madhoo said.

Reflecting on her own journey in the Hindi film industry, Madhoo revealed that she once felt insecure about being judged for her South Indian background.

"Many, many years ago, when I became a Hindi film actor, I was so afraid of the judgements I was getting, and thought I would get, for being a South Indian. I worked harder and harder. I tried to get an Urdu teacher and bettered myself in Hindi, doing anything and everything so that I wouldn't get caught out because of my accent," she shared.

Madhoo admitted that even the slightest indication of an accent would leave her flustered and push her to work harder. She recalled feeling proud when people told her that her Hindi was better than that of native Hindi speakers.

"If anybody even spotted a little bit of an accent in my tone, I would get all flustered and work harder at it. I felt very proud when people would say that my Hindi was even better than that of a Hindi speaker. That was my journey," she said.

"Today, I am so proud to say that I am a South Indian. If I make a mistake in Hindi or my accent has the thickness of a South Indian, I am okay with it. But it took me 30 to 35 years to get here," she added.

Madhoo applauds Rashmika Mandanna's confidence

Praising Rashmika for embracing her identity much earlier in her career, Madhoo offered the actor words of encouragement. "Rashmika, great power to you, girl! I just loved that you own it, laugh about it, and you are truly a star," she said.

The discussion follows Rashmika's appearance on Koffee With Karan 9, where she addressed the trolling she faces over her accent, language and performances. Explaining why she does not consider her South Indian accent a problem, the actor said, "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."

Madhoo also reiterated her admiration in the caption accompanying her video, saying she was proud of her South Indian identity and that Rashmika had reached a place of acceptance much sooner.