Rashmika Mandanna | |
---|---|
Born | |
Alma mater | M. S. Ramaiah College |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2016–present |
Rashmika Mandanna (/rəʃmɪkɑː mənðənɑː/; born 5 April 1996)[1] is an Indian actress who primarily works in Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films.[2] She is the recipient of four SIIMA Awards and a Filmfare Award South, and was featured by Forbes India in their 30 Under 30 list of 2024.[3]
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 Geetha Govindam (2018), which earned her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress – South. 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 film Sulthan (2021).
She gained wider success for playing the leading lady in the action film Pushpa: The Rise (2022). Following a supporting role in the period drama Sita Ramam (2022), she expanded to Hindi cinema and had her highest-grossing release with the action thriller Animal (2023).
Rashmika Mandanna was born on 5 April 1996 into a Kodava Hindu family[4] to Suman and Madan Mandanna in Virajpet, a town in Kodagu district of Karnataka[5][6] and has a younger sister.[7] Her father is the owner of a coffee estate and a function hall called Serenity in Virajpet, Karnataka whilst her mother is a housewife.[8] Her family had struggled financially, having difficulties finding a home and being able to pay rent.[9]
As a child, Rashmika attended Coorg Public School, a boarding school located in Gonikoppal, in which she excelled academically.[10] However, during this time period, she expressed feeling "misunderstood" because of communication challenges, resulting in her "crying in [her] room for hours" and struggling to connect with peers.[11] She credits her mother as the stabilising influence in her life, labelling her as her "biggest strength".[11] 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.[5] 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.[12]
In 2016, Rashmika made her acting debut in the Kannada romantic-comedy Kirik Party which went on to become one of the highest-grossing films of the year in Kannada.[13] Sunayana Suresh of The Times of India praised her in the film stating, "Rashmika Mandanna as Saanvi is easily that pin-up girl in college and she breathes her path".[14] She earned the SIMA Award for the Best Debut Actress.[15] In 2017, she appeared in two commercially successful Kannada films, Anjani Putra and Chamak, however, in the former The Indian Express' Manoj Kumar R thought Rashmika to be reduced to "a hero's arm candy", while in the latter Suresh commended her as a "revelation".[16][17][18]
Expanding to Telugu cinema in 2018, Rashmika starred in the comedy-drama Chalo opposite Naga Shourya.[19] The Hindu’s Stivathsan Nadadhur wrote that, "the makers try to slot Rashmika Mandanna into the lively-bubbly space of a female lead and she makes a confident Telugu debut".[20] The film was a commercial success at the box office.[21] Rashmika then played the title role of Geetha, a strong-willed and independent woman in the Venky Kudumula-directed Telugu romantic comedy Geetha Govindam opposite Vijay Deverakonda.[22] Made on a shoestring budget, the film grossed over ₹132 crore, her highest grosser to that point.[23] Despite this, critics were generally ambivalent towards the film with Firstpost's Haricharan Pudipeddi stating, "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".[24] She earned the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress - South along with the Zee Cine Telugu Award for Favourite Actress.[25][26] Rashmika's final release of 2018 was the Sriram Adittya directorial Devadas.[27] Although a commercial success, she was said to be "deprived of speaking lines," by Manoj Kumar R of The Indian Express.[28]
In 2019, Rashmika returned to Kannada cinema with the commercially successful Yajamana, opposite Darshan.[29] Regardless of being awarded the SIIMA Award for Best Actress (Critics) – Telugu, the age gap between the two leads was criticised by Karthik Keramalu of Film Companion.[30][31] Rashmika's second and ultimate film release of the year was the Telugu romantic action drama Dear Comrade, where she portrayed the role of a talented cricketer who, following sexist remarks and discrimination, loses her passion for the sport.[2] In preparation for the role, she underwent five months of "rigorous physical training" to authentically capture the body language of a cricketer before filming commenced.[32] The project marked her second with Devarkonda, however, they were not able to replicate the success of their previous film, ultimately failing at the box office thus marking Rashmika’s first commercial failure.[33][34] Along with this, the movie caused controversy over a scene featuring a kiss between Devarkonda and Rashmika.[35] She defended the scene in response to the public outcry stating, "The particular scene in the film demanded it and I should do justice to my role. No movie should be judged solely on the basis of a lip-lock scene. It should be seen as a whole".[36]
Rashmika began the new decade opposite Mahesh Babu in the Telugu film Sarileru Neekevvaru, which went on to become one of the highest-grossing Telugu films.[37] Despite its success at the box office, the film was panned by critics with Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu noting, "this isn't a part by which Rashmika can be judged because all she gets to do is fawn over Mahesh".[38] In the same year, she starred in the Telugu film Bheeshma opposite Nithiin.[39]
In 2021, her first release was in the Dhruva Sarja-starrer Pogaru.[40] Rashmika was criticised for taking on a role in a movie with "stereotypes that demean women" by Vivek M V of Deccan Herald.[41] In her second release of the year, she debuted in Tamil cinema opposite Karthi in the commercially successful Sulthan.[42] Although credited as a lead, Pudipeddi of Hindustan Times thought that Rashmika had been "sidelined".[43] Conversely, M Suganth of The Times of India had a different take, praising her on a "charming debut".[44] Her final appearance of the year was in the critically and commercially successful Pushpa: The Rise starring Allu Arjun.[45][46] 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, a strong, independent woman who runs a dairy business and is fiercely loyal to Pushpa.[47] 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".[48]
The following year, Rashmika starred in three films, starting with the unremarkable Telugu feature Aadavallu Meeku Johaarlu opposite Sharwanand.[49][50] She then had a supporting role in the Dulquer Salmaan and Mrunal Thakur-led Telugu romantic-drama Sita Ramam.[51] The movie received critical acclaim and was a success at the box office.[52] 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".[53] In her final release of the year, she appeared alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Neena Gupta as a grieving daughter struggling to cope with her mother's death in Vikas Bahl's comedy-drama Goodbye, marking her debut into Hindi cinema.[54] The film, however, was a box-office bomb.[55] Even so, Devesh Sharma of Filmfare described Rashmika's scenes to have been "as natural as can be" adding that she managed to "leave an impact even in this non-glamorous debut".[56] She earned the Zee Cine Award for Best Female Debut.[57]
2023 saw Rashmika in three action films, Varisu, Mission Majnu and Animal. In the formermost, she starred opposite Vijay but was described as merely "arm candy" by The Times of India’s M Suganth.[58] Regardless, the film went on to become one of the highest-grossing films of Tamil cinema.[59] The Hindi spy-thriller Mission Majnu starred Rashmika as a visually-impaired woman opposite Sidharth Malhotra.[60] In preparation for the role, she underwent special training to understand the body language and awareness of visually-impaired people.[61] Even so, her character was negatively received and the film was panned by critics due to its unduly nationalistic views.[62] In a scathing review for Film Companion, Deepanjana Pal dismissed Rashmika's character as "unimportant".[63]
In the lattermost, the controversial Hindi action film opposite Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika was seen as a dutiful housewife.[64] Acknowledging the film's misogynistic tone, Rahul Desai of Film Companion found Rashmika’s acting in a key confrontation scene with Kapoor's character to be "a race against time", adding that "the result isn’t pretty".[65] However, according to IndieWire's Proma Khosla, Rashmika put forth a "commendable effort" but lamented the limited opportunities provided in the film for her to "showcase her talent".[66] Despite polarising reviews from critics along with mixed reactions towards her character, Animal proved to be a major commercial success with a gross of over ₹9 billion (US$110 million), her highest to date.[67][68][69] 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 has for her husband.[69]
Rashmika will next star in three Telugu films: she will reprise her role as Srivalli in the sequel Pushpa 2: The Rule[70] and headline the female-led films, Rainbow and The Girlfriend.[71][72] She will also portray Yesubai Bhonsale, opposite Vicky Kaushal's Sambhaji, in the Hindi historical drama Chaava.[73]
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.[74] However, they mutually ended their engagement in September 2018, citing compatibility issues.[75][76]
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.[77][78]
Rashmika was placed at the 24th position in Bangalore Times' 25 Most Desirable Women of 2016[79] and also appeared in the Bangalore Times' 30 Most Desirable women of 2017.[80] In October 2021, she placed first in Forbes India's most influential stars on Instagram in South Cinema.[81] In 2024, Rashmika was featured by Forbes India in their 30 Under 30 list.[82]
Rashmika is an endorser for several brands and products, including McDonald's,[83] Dabur Honey,[84] Cashify,[85] Kalyan Jewellers[86] and Bisk Farm[87] 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.[88][89] 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.[90][91] As of December 2024, Rashmika is one of the most-followed South Indian actresses on Instagram.[92]
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 an Instagram video posted by a British-Indian woman named Zara Patel. Rashmika released a statement saying 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 co-star Amitabh Bachchan, have spoken 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.[93][94][95][96][97]
† | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Role(s) | Language(s) | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Kirik Party | Saanvi Joseph | Kannada | [98] | |
2017 | Anjani Putra | Geetha | Kannada | [99] | |
Chamak | Kushi | Kannada | [100] | ||
2018 | Chalo | L. Karthika | Telugu | [101] | |
Geetha Govindam | Geetha | Telugu | [102] | ||
Devadas | Pooja | Telugu | [103] | ||
2019 | Yajamana | Kaveri | Kannada | [104] | |
Dear Comrade | Aparna "Lilly" Devi | Telugu | [105] | ||
2020 | Sarileru Neekevvaru | Samskruthi | Telugu | [106] | |
Bheeshma | Chaithra | Telugu | [107] | ||
2021 | Pogaru | Geetha | Kannada | [108] | |
Sulthan | Rukmani | Tamil | [109] | ||
Pushpa: The Rise | Srivalli | Telugu | [110] | ||
2022 | Aadavallu Meeku Johaarlu | Aadhya | Telugu | [111] | |
Sita Ramam | Afreen (Waheeda) | Telugu | [112] | ||
Goodbye | Tara Bhalla | Hindi | [113] | ||
2023 | Varisu | Divya | Tamil | [114] | |
Mission Majnu | Nasreen Hussain | Hindi | [115] | ||
Animal | Geetanjali Singh | Hindi | [116] | ||
2024 | Pushpa 2: The Rule† | Srivalli | Telugu | Filming | [117] |
Rainbow† | TBA | Telugu/Tamil | Filming | [118] | |
The Girlfriend † | TBA | Telugu | Filming | [119] | |
Chaava † | Yesubai Bhonsale | Hindi | Filming | [120] |
Year | Song | Language(s) | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | "Top Tucker" | Hindi/Tamil | YRF Music | [121] |