Yash 's message to Rashmika Mandanna
Yash and Rashmika Mandanna.PR Handout

Rocking Star Yash's recent statement at the press meet of AP Arjun's upcoming Sandalwood movie Kiss is seen as dig taken at Rashmika Mandanna for claiming that she was not fluent in Kannada.

Speaking at the press meet, Yash showered good words about debutant Sri Leela and said that her mother is his family friend. The Rocking Star then claimed that he always wanted Kannada actresses to shine in other languages and he is confident of the newbie earning stardom in other language films.

"Whenever my movies were announced, I used to read in newspapers that actresses from other film industries were making debut in Kannada languages and the topic used to be in news for a week. I knew that such development would not make much of a difference to a film, yet somewhere down the heart I was fuming," Yash said.

"I wanted talents from here to go outside and make name for themselves and people should respect Sandalwood like other film industries. Finally, I am happy because it is happening," Yash added, while indicating that those going outside should not forget their roots after working in other language film industries.

"They should first respect our film industry," the KGF star added. This comment is apparently seen as a potshot taken at Rashmika Mandanna.

During the promotion of Dear Comrade, Rashmika Mandanna had confessed that she was not fluent in Kannada or any other language. It had upset Kannadigas, who slammed the actress for her statement as she is born and brought up in Karnataka.

Many including veteran actor Jaggesh had felt that people should not forget their roots after attaining popularity in other place. Interestingly, Yash had taken part in the music festival of Dear Comrade organised in Bengaluru and shared stage with Vijay Devarakonda along with Rashmika Mandanna.

It may be recalled that the fans of Yash had trolled Rashmika Mandanna after calling "Mr Show Off" in a chat show in 2017. Later, she had apologised for her comment, while stating that her statement was taken out of context.