After rejection, trolling and struggle, Rashmika became a pan-India star.
Today, Rashmika Mandanna is counted among the big actresses of the country. With films like ‘Pushpa’, ‘Animal’ and ‘Chhava’, she achieved the status of a pan-India star. But at the beginning of her career, she had to face continuous rejections. She gave about 20-25 auditions, in most of which she was rejected saying that her face was not like an actress.
She used to cry after returning home. After training for 2-3 months for a film, that film was also shut down. However, she did not give up and became a star with her very first Kannada film ‘Kirik Party’.
In today’s success story, let’s know about Rashmika Mandanna’s career and personal life.
Rashmika Mandanna was the first actress from the Kodava community to work in films, due to which she faced controversies and the displeasure of the community members.
Born in Virajpet, Karnataka
Rashmika Mandanna was born on April 5, 1996, in Virajpet, Kodagu (Coorg) district, Karnataka. She belongs to a Kodava family. Her childhood was spent in Coorg, famous for its beautiful hills and coffee plantations. Her father, Madan Mandanna, is a local businessman who owns a coffee estate and a function hall.
Her mother, Suman Mandanna, is a homemaker and has always been a support in Rashmika’s career. She also has a younger sister, Shiman Mandanna, with whom she shares a deep bond.
Witnessed Financial Struggle in Childhood
Rashmika’s parents never had money even to buy toys for her. She had mentioned this in an interview given to Hindustan Times. According to her, there was a time when her parents had to struggle to find a house and pay rent.
The situation was so bad that they couldn’t even buy a toy for their daughter. Witnessing this poverty, Rashmika today values the money earned through hard work.
A Major Part of Her Life Was Spent in a Hostel
Rashmika did her initial schooling at Coorg Public School, Gonikoppal. It was a boarding school, so a large part of her childhood was spent in the hostel. Rashmika said, “Most of my life was spent in the hostel. At that time, my parents were busy managing their lives and financial situation. That’s why I have been in a hostel since childhood. At that time, I didn’t even get a chance to watch movies. In the hostel, watching TV was allowed only from 9:30 to 10 PM, and even then, only news, sports, or music could be watched.”
Rashmika Mandanna did not want to become an actress.
Her heart was in dance, not studies
She said, “In school, whether it was Teachers’ Day, Annual Day, or any cultural program, I always participated enthusiastically. Especially, I learned Bharatanatyam and loved to dance. I had absolutely no interest in studies. I was a backbencher in class. I felt that I wouldn’t be able to achieve anything special through studies. At most, I would return home and help my father with his business.”
Bachelor’s Degree in Three Subjects
Rashmika Mandanna is not just a successful actress, but also well-educated. She has earned a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature, Psychology, and Journalism.
After completing her schooling, Rashmika pursued a pre-university course from Mysore Institute of Commerce and Arts. After this, she enrolled in M.S. Ramaiah College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Bengaluru and completed her graduation in these three subjects from there.
Never Dreamed of Becoming an Actress
In 2014, while studying in college, Rashmika won the ‘Clean & Clear Times Fresh Face’ competition. After this, she started receiving many modeling offers. Initially, she turned down acting proposals because she had never thought about becoming an actress.
Rashmika says, “Whenever I used to watch film songs or hear about actors, their lives used to attract me a lot. I used to think how wonderful their lives must be. But I never even dreamt that one day I myself would become an actress.”
Later, a college professor encouraged her to audition.
Your face doesn’t look like an actress’s
In the early days of her career, Rashmika gave about 20 to 25 auditions. She was rejected in most places. Many casting teams told her that her face didn’t look like an actress’s. This broke her from within.
Used to cry a lot after returning home
In an interview given to Galatta Plus, Rashmika had revealed that after continuous rejections, she often used to cry after returning home. She said that at that time she could not accept failure. Every rejection made her feel that perhaps she was not meant for this industry.
Got the first film, but it never materialized
Rashmika said, “After that, I auditioned for a film one last time and I was selected. The film’s name was ‘Gaalare Gelathire’. We even trained for two-three months for it, but unfortunately, that film never started. I came back home and focused on my studies. At that time, my parents also said that two years have passed, come back home. I also thought that perhaps this is the path of my life.”
However, she composed herself and continued to look for new opportunities.
Rejection Taught Her to Move Forward
Rashmika Mandanna often says that the rejections and failures she faced in her career proved to be her biggest teachers. In the early days, she was rejected in many auditions without a clear reason. Many times, she was not even told the reason for not being selected.
Initially, it was disheartening, but gradually she understood that rejection is a part of every artist’s journey in the entertainment industry and should not be considered a personal failure.
Rashmika believes that if she had broken down from initial setbacks, she probably would never have reached films like ‘Pushpa’, ‘Animal’ and other big movies. She considered every rejection an opportunity to improve herself. She continuously worked on her acting, screen presence, and confidence.
She has said that success is not achieved in a single day, but comes from patience, continuous hard work, and self-belief. This very thought kept inspiring her to stand up again after every failure and move forward stronger.
‘Kirik Party’ Changed Life
Rashmika said, “During this time, I got a call for ‘Kirik Party’. I think that’s where my real journey as an actress began. When I got this film, I couldn’t believe it. I was just thinking, ‘Wow… how did this happen?'”
Rashmika Mandanna made her acting debut in 2016 with the Kannada film ‘Kirik Party’. Her very first film proved to be a box office hit and Rashmika became the new star of Karnataka. Her natural acting and screen presence were liked by the audience. After that, she never looked back.
The Kannada film ‘Kirik Party’ was directed by Kantara fame actor-director Rishab Shetty.
Continuous success in Kannada cinema
After ‘Kirik Party’, Rashmika worked in Kannada films ‘Anjani Putra’ (2017) and ‘Chamak’ (2017). Both films performed well and Rashmika became one of the successful actresses in the industry.
Stepped into the Telugu Industry
In 2018, Rashmika debuted with the Telugu film ‘Chalo’. The film was successful and Telugu audiences embraced her wholeheartedly. In the same year, her pairing with Vijay Deverakonda in ‘Geetha Govindam’ was a superhit. The film grossed over 100 crore rupees and Rashmika became popular throughout South India.
After this, she worked in films like ‘Devadas’, ‘Dear Comrade’, ‘Sarileru Neekevvaru’, ‘Bheeshma’, and ‘Pushpa: The Rise’. These films made her one of the top actresses in Telugu cinema.
The film ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ was released in cinemas on December 17, 2021.
How did Pushpa get the role?
After the success of films like ‘Geetha Govindam’, ‘Sarileru Neekevvaru’ and ‘Bheeshma’, director Sukumar was looking for an actress who could portray the simplicity of a village girl and strong emotions on screen in the character of ‘Srivalli’. Seeing Rashmika’s natural acting and popularity, she was offered this role.
Her pairing with Allu Arjun in ‘Pushpa: The Rise’, released in 2021, was well-received. The film’s song ‘Saami Saami’ and the character of Srivalli became popular across the country. After this, Rashmika’s identity was not limited to the South and she became a pan-India star.
Bollywood debut with Amitabh Bachchan’s film
Rashmika made her Hindi film debut in 2022 with the film ‘Goodbye’ alongside Amitabh Bachchan. The film was critically acclaimed, though it did not achieve major box office success.
After that, she was seen in ‘Mission Majnu’ (with Sidharth Malhotra). This film was released on OTT and her performance was appreciated.
Rashmika Mandanna and Ranbir Kapoor in a scene from the film ‘Animal’.
‘Animal’ gave her a new identity
‘Animal’, released in 2023, proved to be a major turning point in Rashmika’s career. In the film, she played the character of Gitanjali, Ranbir Kapoor’s wife. This character was not just glamorous, but also emotionally strong. With this film, Rashmika’s popularity among Hindi audiences increased manifold. She has long been called ‘National Crush’ on social media, but after ‘Animal’, this identity became even stronger across the entire Hindi belt.
What is the story behind ‘National Crush’?
Around 2020, Rashmika started being widely referred to as the ‘National Crush of India’ on social media. The reasons for this were her smile, simplicity, natural demeanor in interviews, and her success in South India. Later, films like ‘Pushpa’ and ‘Animal’ further boosted this popularity across the country. However, this is not an official honor, but rather an address given by fans and social media.
Along with success, she also faced trolling, and was the subject of discussion in several controversies
As quickly as Rashmika Mandanna’s career advanced, she faced trolling on social media just as many times. The biggest controversy occurred in 2018 after her engagement with actor Rakshit Shetty broke off. A section of social media, without concrete information, blamed her for the breakup of the relationship and targeted her for a long time.
Subsequently, during an interview in 2022, while mentioning her first film ‘Kirik Party’, Rashmika used hand gestures (air quotes) instead of naming the production house. Regarding this, some fans from the Kannada film industry called it an insult to director Rishab Shetty and the production house. During the same period, she also faced criticism on social media for her statement about not watching ‘Kantara’.
On continuous trolling, Rashmika broke her silence in November 2022 by writing a long note on social media. She said, “It is heartbreaking and disheartening that I am trolled for things I never said.” She also wrote that she has faced constant criticism since the beginning of her career and now she felt it was important to speak up about it.
Later, in an interview, Rashmika said that people misinterpret her way of speaking, hand gestures, and even expressions. According to her, as a public figure, she understands that not everyone will like her, but if people cannot be kind to someone, they should at least not spread hatred without reason.
However, despite constant trolling and controversies, Rashmika remained focused on her work. Today, she is counted among the successful actresses of Indian cinema, and audiences eagerly await her films.
Rashmika’s upcoming major films
1. Ranabali
This is a 19th-century historical drama film, in which Rashmika will be seen in the lead role with her husband Vijay Deverakonda. This film will be released in cinemas worldwide on September 11, 2026.
This pan-India film will be released in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada languages. In this, Vijay Deverakonda has played the character of Ranabali and Rashmika Mandanna has played Jayamma.
Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna got married in a private ceremony in Udaipur, Rajasthan on February 26, 2026.
2. Maysa
This is a Telugu action drama film, in which Rashmika will appear in the lead role with a rural and tribal background. The film is expected to be released in theaters by the end of 2026.
The teaser of Rashmika’s film ‘Mysa’ was recently launched.
3. Pushpa 3 – The Rampage
She will once again portray Srivalli alongside Allu Arjun in the third installment of the blockbuster ‘Pushpa’ franchise. The film is expected to be released in cinemas by 2028 or 2029.
4. Animal Park
Following the success of ‘Animal’, she will also appear in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s next crime-drama film. The release date of this film has not yet been announced, as its shooting will begin in mid-2027.
5. Atlee’s Next Film
Rashmika will be paired with Allu Arjun in this upcoming Telugu film, which will be directed by Atlee. The film has been officially titled ‘Raaka’. Currently, the official release date for this science-fiction film has not been announced, but according to trade reports, it is expected to be released in cinemas in Summer 2027.
