Rashmika Mandanna on Accent Trolling: “I’m a Jack of All Trades and Master of None”

Rashmika Mandanna has addressed the criticism she receives over her accent and language skills, particularly as she continues to work across Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Hindi cinema. In a recent interview the actor explained that her multilingual career was not the result of a carefully planned strategy. Instead, she said it developed organically as different opportunities came her way.

The conversation also gave Rashmika an opportunity to explain her relationship with language and why she does not allow criticism over pronunciation or accent to become the focus of her career.

Rashmika Mandanna Explains Her Connection With Different Languages

Rashmika was born and brought up in Kodagu and identifies Kodava Takk as her mother tongue. She explained that because there is no major film industry operating in her mother tongue, language could not become a fixed boundary for her career.

“I treat all languages as my own,” she told, explaining how her journey expanded from one film industry to another.

According to Rashmika, her move into Telugu cinema was encouraged by fans, and a similar process happened with Hindi cinema. Her career subsequently expanded into Tamil and other language markets.

That background is important when looking at the criticism surrounding her accent. Rather than presenting herself as someone who has mastered every language she has worked in, Rashmika openly acknowledged that she is still navigating several linguistic environments.

“Jack of All Trades and Master of None”

When asked about comments concerning her accent, Rashmika responded with a self-deprecating description of her linguistic journey.

“I’m not necessarily good at any language,” she said, before describing herself as a “Jack of all trades and master of none.”

Her point was not that language does not matter to her. Quite the opposite: she explained that being able to communicate with audiences in their own language is her way of showing respect.

She also said that she has become accustomed to hearing different opinions about the way she speaks and prefers not to let what she considers unnecessary criticism distract her from her work.

Why Rashmika Does Not Want Accent Criticism to Define Her Work

For Rashmika, the central responsibility of an actor is the performance rather than responding to every criticism surrounding it.

She told Hindustan Times that her focus is on telling good stories and delivering her best performance on set. Her comments suggest that she sees the multilingual nature of her career as part of the work itself rather than something that needs to be justified every time she enters a new industry.

This approach also reflects how her career has developed. Rashmika made her Kannada film debut with Kirik Party, subsequently worked in Telugu cinema, made her Tamil debut with Sulthan and entered Hindi cinema with Goodbye. Her career has since increasingly crossed language and industry boundaries.

Interestingly, Rashmika had spoken about this linguistic mix years earlier. In a 2021 interview with Cinema Express, she described herself as a “jack of all trades and master of none” while discussing how working across languages had affected the way she spoke.

That makes her latest comments less of a sudden response and more of a continuation of an idea she has expressed throughout her career.

A Pan-India Career That Keeps Expanding

Rashmika's comments arrive at a particularly busy point in her career.

She is currently attached to several projects spanning different genres and audiences. Her upcoming Ranabaali, starring alongside Vijay Deverakonda, is scheduled for theatrical release on October 16, 2026, according to the film's official teaser released by Mythri Movie Makers.

She is also set to headline Mysaa, an action thriller scheduled for worldwide theatrical release on November 27, 2026.

Most recently, Rashmika was officially announced as the actor portraying legendary Carnatic vocalist M.S. Subbulakshmi in M.S - A Legacy On Screen. The film is directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri, with music by Anirudh Ravichander, and was formally launched in Chennai on September 16, 2026.

The M.S. Subbulakshmi project adds another dimension to the language conversation because the role requires Rashmika to engage with a cultural and musical legacy deeply associated with South Indian classical traditions.

The Celebrity Hour Take

Rashmika Mandanna's latest comments are notable because she has chosen to address the language debate without pretending that linguistic perfection is the measure of her career.

Her filmography itself demonstrates the unusual path she has taken: moving between Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Hindi projects rather than remaining identified with one particular regional industry. Her explanation that this happened organically also provides useful context for understanding why her accent can sound different depending on the language and role.

The more significant takeaway is that Rashmika appears to view multilingual filmmaking as an ongoing learning process. Her “jack of all trades” description is therefore less a claim of linguistic mastery than an acknowledgement of the reality of working across multiple Indian film industries.

With Ranabaali, Mysaa and the M.S. Subbulakshmi biopic among her current projects, that multilingual journey is continuing into another phase with increasingly varied characters and cultural settings.

Sources & Verification

This report was prepared using Rashmika Mandanna's September 2026 interview, plus official promotional material from Mythri Movie Makers for Ranabaali. Earlier comments from her 2021 Cinema Express interview were also reviewed to establish the historical context of her “jack of all trades” remark.