Rashmika Mandanna

She is the recipient of four SIIMA Awards and a Filmfare Award, and was featured by Forbes India in their 30 Under 30 list of 2024.

Rashmika Mandanna
Rashmika promoting Goodbye in 2022
Born	(1996-04-05) 5 April 1996 (age 28) Virajpet, Karnataka, India
Alma mater	M. S. Ramaiah College
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2016–present

Rashmika made her acting debut with the Kannada film Kirik Party (2016), and had her first Telugu film release in the romantic comedy Chalo (2018). A turning point in her career came with the romance drama Geetha Govindam (2018), which earned her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress. She played the leading lady in the action comedies Devadas (2018) and Sarileru Neekevvaru (2020), and the romance Bheeshma (2020). Her first Tamil release came in the action drama Sulthan (2021).

She earned wider recognition for playing the leading lady in the action film Pushpa: The Rise (2021). Following a supporting role in the period drama Sita Ramam (2022), she expanded to Hindi cinema with her highest-grossing release in the action thriller Animal (2023).

Rashmika Mandanna was born on 5 April 1996 into a Kodava Hindu family to Suman and Madan Mandanna in Virajpet, a town in Kodagu district of Karnataka and has a younger sister, Shiman. Her father is the owner of a coffee estate and a function hall called Serenity in her hometown whilst her mother is a housewife. Her family had struggled financially, having difficulties finding a home and being able to pay rent.

As a child, Rashmika attended Coorg Public School, a boarding school located in Gonikoppal, in which she excelled academically. However, during this time period, she expressed feeling "misunderstood" because of communication challenges, resulting in her "crying in my room for hours" and struggling to connect with peers. She credits her mother as the stabilising influence in her life, labelling her as her "biggest strength". She studied for a bachelor's degree in Psychology, Journalism and English Literature at the M. S. Ramaiah College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Bangalore. Despite initial hesitation about Rashmika's pursuit of an acting career due to her unassertive personality, her parents eventually granted her permission to follow through with it. In 2014, Rashmika and another contestant were awarded The Times of India's Clean and Clear Fresh Face; the award was presented to her by Akshay Kumar.

Early work and breakthrough (2016–2020)

In 2016, Rashmika made her acting debut opposite Rakshit Shetty in the Kannada romantic comedy Kirik Party, which went on to become one of the highest-grossing Kannada films. Sunayana Suresh of The Times of India praised her performance, writing "Rashmika Mandanna as Saanvi is easily that pin-up girl in college and she breathes her path". She earned the SIMA Award for the Best Debut Actress. Rashmika later disclosed that had the film failed, she would have opted to go back home and manage her father’s business. In 2017, she appeared in two Kannada films— the action picture Anjani Putra and romantic comedy Chamak. In the former, The Indian Express' Manoj Kumar R thought that Rashmika had been reduced to "a hero's arm candy", while in the latter, The Times of India's Suresh commended her as a "revelation". Both films emerged commercially successful.

 

Expanding to Telugu cinema in 2018, Rashmika starred opposite Naga Shaurya in the comedy drama Chalo, a film following two lovers of opposing groups in a fictional segregated village. In a positive review, The Hindu’s Stivathsan Nadadhur praised the film's "humorous" take on a heavy theme and appreciated Rashmika's comic timing. The film was her fourth consecutive box-office success in two years. She then took on the title role of Geetha, a strong-willed and independent woman in the Venky Kudumula-directed Telugu romantic comedy Geetha Govindam, opposite Vijay Deverakonda. Made on a shoestring budget, the film grossed over ₹132 crore, emerging a financial success and Rashmika’s first film to gross over ₹1 billion (US$13 million) at the domestic box-office. Though critics were pleased with the chemistry between Deverakonda and Rashmika, they were generally unimpressed with the picture’s monotonous plot; in a mixed review, Firstpost's Haricharan Pudipeddi wrote, "another reason why the film works in spite of a very done-to-death plot is due to the refreshing on screen chemistry of Deverakonda and Rashmika, who make it an enjoyable watch". She earned the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress – South. Rashmika's final release of 2018 was the Sriram Adittya directorial Devadas in which her role was dismissed as ornamental by both The Indian Express and Sify.

In 2019, Rashmika returned to Kannada cinema with the Darshan-led Yajamana which follows a man that attempts to prevent a relentless business tycoon from exploiting a village of its oil. The film was met with mixed reviews from critics with the age gap between Rashmika and Darshan being criticised by Karthik Keramalu of Film Companion. Rashmika's second and ultimate release of the year was the Telugu romantic action drama Dear Comrade, where she portrayed the role of a talented cricket player who, following sexist remarks and discrimination, loses her passion for the sport. In preparation, she underwent five months of "rigorous physical training" to authentically capture the body language of a cricketer before filming commenced. The project marked her second with Deverakonda, however, they were unable to replicate the success of their previous film and it ultimately failed at the box-office— Rashmika’s first commercial failure. The movie also caused controversy due to a scene featuring a kiss between Deverakonda and Rashmika; when asked about the scene, Rashmika said that she was carrying out what the role required of her, and that one scene should not dictate the entire film.

She began the new decade opposite Mahesh Babu in the Telugu action comedy Sarileru Neekevvaru, which went on to become one of the top-grossing Telugu films. Rashmika’s role was poorly received by critics; Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu bemoaned that her character was solely used for plot convenience and did not give her much scope to perform as "all she does is fawn over Mahesh". In the same year, she starred in the Telugu romantic comedy Bheeshma opposite Nithiin. Despite being subject to divergent reception critically, the film achieved considerable success at the box-office. In regards to her performance, Film Companion’s Keramalu dismissed Rashmika as an "accessory", while Firstpost’s Hemanth Kumar argued that she "shined in her role".

Career expansion (2021–present)

In 2021, her first release was as a morally-driven school teacher in the Kannada Dhruva Sarja-starrer Pogaru. She was criticised for taking on a role in a movie that perpetuated "stereotypes that demean women" by Vivek M V of Deccan Herald. In her second release of the year, she made her debut in Tamil cinema opposite Karthi in the commercially successful Sulthan. Pudipeddi of Hindustan Times thought that Rashmika had been "sidelined" while M Suganth of The Times of India had a different take, commending her on a "charming debut". Her final appearance of the year was in the critically and commercially successful Pushpa: The Rise, starring Allu Arjun. Set against the backdrop of the smuggling syndicate of red sandalwood, the film marked a significant breakthrough in Rashmika's career as she gained national recognition for her role as Srivalli, Arjun’s love interest. Film Companion's Mukesh Manjunath found that she did her "best to imbue bubbliness and the innocence required in these testosterone-charged surroundings" but bemoaned that the brown-facing of her character was "unnecessary and ineffective".

 

The following year, Rashmika starred in three films, starting with the unremarkable Telugu feature Aadavallu Meeku Johaarlu opposite Sharwanand. She then had a supporting role in the Dulquer Salmaan and Mrunal Thakur-led Telugu romantic drama Sita Ramam. The movie received critical acclaim and was a success at the box-office. In his review for Hindustan Times, Pudipeddi appreciated Rashmika’s portrayal of "a character that goes through a transformation", adding that it is "well brought out by her performance". In her final release of the year, she appeared alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Neena Gupta as a grief-stricken daughter struggling to cope with the loss of her mother in Vikas Bahl's comedy drama Goodbye, marking her debut into Hindi cinema. Though a box-office bomb, Rashmika’s performance was well-received with Devesh Sharma of Filmfare describing her "as natural as can be" adding that she managed to "leave an impact even in this non-glamorous debut". She earned the Zee Cine Award for Best Female Debut.

2023 saw Rashmika in three action films—Varisu, Mission Majnu and Animal. In the formermost, she starred opposite Vijay but was dismissed as "arm candy" by The Times of India’s M Suganth. Rashmika labelled it a "conscious choice" to star in the film without an impactful role due to the recognition she would receive from Vijay's celebrity. The film went on to become one of the highest-grossing films of Tamil cinema. The Hindi spy thriller Mission Majnu witnessed Rashmika as a visually-impaired woman opposite Sidharth Malhotra. In preparation, she underwent "special training to understand the body language and awareness of visually-impaired people". Even so, her character was poorly received and the film was panned by critics due to its unduly nationalistic views. In a scathing review for Film Companion, Deepanjana Pal dismissed Rashmika's character as "unimportant".

In the lattermost, Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s controversial Hindi action film starring Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika starred as a dutiful housewife. She replaced Parineeti Chopra as Vanga thought that she was better suited for the role. The film's content led certain commentators to accuse the film of glorifying toxic masculinity and misogyny. WION’s Shomini Sen praised Rashmika for salvaging a poorly written character that was disadvantaged due to Vanga’s focus on "a skewed version of an alpha male". Despite polarising reviews from critics, Animal proved to be a major commercial success with a gross of over ₹9 billion (US$110 million), the eighth highest-grossing Indian film of all time and Rashmika's most profitable financial venture. Following criticism regarding her character's perceived complicity in allowing misogyny, Rashmika defended her role, stating Geetanjali was "the only force at home holding her family together", and described her as "pure, real, unfiltered, strong and raw". However, while also expressing personal reservations about some of her character's decisions, Rashmika understood the story was not hers and, rather, Geetanjali's and the love she possesses for her husband.

Rashmika will next star in three Telugu films: she will reprise her role as Srivalli in the sequel Pushpa 2: The Rule and headline the female-led films, Rainbow and The Girlfriend. She will also portray Yesubai Bhonsale, opposite Vicky Kaushal's Sambhaji, in the Hindi historical drama Chaava.

Rashmika began dating her co-star Rakshit Shetty during the making of Kirik Party, with the couple getting engaged on 3 July 2017 in a private party at her hometown of Virajpet. They ended their engagement in September 2018, citing compatibility issues.

 

Sneha Menon Desai of Film Companion took note of Rashmika's sincerity and "down-to-earth personality", while Anupama Chopra, also from Film Companion, described Rashmika as "intelligent" and acknowledged her ability to resonate with audiences.

Rashmika was placed at the 24th position in Bangalore Times' 25 Most Desirable Women of 2016 and also appeared in the Bangalore Times' 30 Most Desirable women of 2017. In October 2021, she placed first in Forbes India's most influential stars on Instagram in South Cinema. In 2024, Rashmika was featured by Forbes India in their 30 Under 30 list.

Rashmika is an endorser for several brands and products, including McDonald's, Dabur Honey, Cashify, Kalyan Jewellers and Bisk Farm among others. In 2023, she was made the first Indian ambassador for Japanese fashion brand Onitsuka Tiger and, along with Tiger Shroff, American streaming service Crunchyroll for their efforts to expand in India. As an ambassador for the former, she attended Milan Fashion Week and walked the runway, while for the latter she presented an award at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards in Japan. As of December 2024, Rashmika is one of the most-followed South Indian actresses on Instagram.

In November 2023, a deepfake of Rashmika was created and posted on the platform X by digital marketer, Eemani Naveen. Rashmika’s face was morphed onto a sexually suggestive Instagram video posted by a British-Indian influencer named Zara Patel. Rashmika released a statement expressing how she was, "[scared] not only for me, but also for each one of us who today is vulnerable to so much harm because of how technology is being misused". The video had amassed millions of views across all social platforms before being deleted. However, numerous voices of support from prominent figures in Indian cinema, including her Goodbye co-star Amitabh Bachchan, spoke out against the dangers of such deepfakes. In December 2023, Delhi Police "communicated with Meta to obtain the URL ID associated with the account responsible for generating the video", and filed a First information report (FIR) in relation to the case. In January 2024, Naveen was arrested and revealed that he created the deepfake in order to gain followers on Instagram. He chose Rashmika as the victim of his creation as he was a fan of hers.

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