Jaggesh slams Rashmika Mandanna for 'anti-Kannada' comments: It is Kannadigas' applause that made you a star

Veteran Kannada actor Jaggesh has criticised Rashmika Mandanna for alleged anti-Kannada comments during a promotional interview of her upcoming movie Dear Comrade. The Navarasa Nayaka has stated that she would not have seen growth in the film industry without the love and appreciation from Kannadigas.

"There are many friends of mine who have earned the love of other language audience after starting their career in Kannada. To date, they speak and respect the language which shows our culture. It is unfortunate that the younger generation does not possess those qualities. Remember, it is the applause from Kannadigas that made you a star [sic]," the rough translation of Jaggesh's tweet read.

What did Rashmika Mandanna say?

In an interview with a Tamil website, Rashmika Mandanna was speaking about Dear Comrade music festivals organised in four southern states. She revealed that her latest film was initially planned only in Telugu and a decision to dub in other languages like Kannada and Tamil was taken later.

When she mentioned about Kannada, the interviewer reminded her that the language was easy for her because she hails from Karnataka. Her instant reaction was "no" following which she added, "adu kastam....yenaku aa language correct agi varaadungaa (it is also difficult...I cannot speak any language correctly)."

Her comment has not gone down well with a section of Kannadigas, who have been hurt to know that she was not fluent in Kannada despite being born and brought up in Karnataka.

Rashmika Mandanna, who is now gearing up for the release of Dear Comrade with Vijay Devarakonda, started her career with Rakshit Shetty's Kannada blockbuster movie Kirik Party in 2016. In a short span of time, the actress has bagged a couple of big projects in Telugu and Tamil film industries.