Meet actor who faced communication issues as child, family opposition to acting; linked up with costar and is now among highest-paid celebs

Pink Villa

a day ago

This actor is one of the most sought-after celebrities nowadays and is considered a lucky mascot for many projects. Her last movie was a mega blockbuster and created a frenzy among fans. She has collaborated with some of the leading actors and directors in the block while her relationship status is a topic of much curiosity among everyone.
Did you guess who we are speaking about? Yes, it's Rashmika Mandanna.
Who is Rashmika Mandanna?
Riding at the forefront of pan-Indian success, Rashmika Mandanna is one of the leading heroines who has conquered fame across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi cinema. She was born to a Kodavu family in April 1996 in Karnataka.
Her father owns a coffee estate in her hometown, while Rashmika's mother is a happy homemaker. The starlet also has a younger sister, Shiman, for whom she's always been more of a maternal figure.
The actress attended a boarding school in Gonikoppal and thereafter completed her graduation from M.S. Ramaiah College of Arts, Science, and Commerce in Bengaluru.
Rashmika's childhood and growing up
Well, Rashmika hailed from a middle-class family and witnessed financial struggles while growing up. She had once even revealed how her parents found it difficult, at times, to pay rent and how challenging it was for them to make ends meet.
In fact, Rashmika even highlighted how she could not ask her parents to buy her a toy since it would be difficult for them to manage their bare necessities.
Moreover, during her schooling, Rashmika faced communication issues and was frequently misunderstood, which made it difficult for her to interact with her peers. All in all, these experiences helped shape her to a great extent.
How a beauty pageant led to Rashmika's foray into films
During her undergraduate days, Rashmika Mandanna was awarded the Clean & Care Fresh Face Award as a part of the beauty pageant she participated in. She was conferred this award by Akshay Kumar, and as a reward, she was made the face of the brand for the year.
This move led to her being recognised far and wide, which is when Rishab Shetty offered him the movie Kirik Party in 2015. While Rashmika initially refused to do it, she later became comfortable in front of the camera, and this film ultimately became her debut movie.
The film became one of the highest-grossing Kannada films, and the starlet won her first SIIMA Award for Best Debut Actress that year.
Fame and beyond, post Geetha Govindam
Gradually, she went on to secure film offers one after the other, each of which was quite successful at the box office. In 2018, she paired up opposite Vijay Deverakonda in Geetha Govindam, which was a raging hit within no time.
This was followed by several more hit movies, including Dear Comrade with Vijay again, Sarileru Neekevaru with Mahesh Babu, Bheeshma with Nithiin, and others.
Global recognition with Pushpa
Well, Rashmika Mandanna did once mention that if her debut film had not worked out, she had plans of returning to her hometown and taking over her father's business.
In fact, her parents were not entirely agreeable to the idea that she would act in films and become an actor. They had strongly opposed it for a long time before Rashmika ultimately became successful in her work.
The year 2021 saw the diva achieve a breakthrough in stardom with Allu Arjun's Pushpa: The Rise. Her portrayal as the shy, yet charismatic and docile Srivalli gained attention across the country, and she was hailed as the national crush.
The same year, she starred in Sita Ramam, co-starring Dulquer Salmaan and Mrunal Thakur, a project that gave her moderate success.
Bollywood debut, massive success with Animal
In 2022, Rashmika made her Bollywood debut with GoodBye, alongside Amitabh Bachchan. This was a low hit at the box office, which is when she delivered her next movie, Mission Majnu, with Siddharth Malhotra.
Finally, in 2023, the diva was roped in by Sandeep Reddy Vanga for the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Animal. Despite its controversial themes, the film was a massive success at the box office, becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 2023.
Rashmika Mandanna's link-up rumors with Vijay Deverakonda
Beyond her professional front, for the longest time, Rashmika Mandanna has been romantically linked to her co-star Vijay Deverakonda. The duo who have starred in a few films together are said to be in a serious relationship.
However, while none of them have ever directly confirmed the same, their appearances together and even pictures shared from the same backgrounds continue to fuel rumors even now.
Rashmika Mandanna's work front
Coming to her work front, from 2024-25, audiences saw a very different side of Rashmika Mandanna as she went on to bag one massive project after another opposite leading stars across the industry.
These include reprising her role as Srivalli in Pushpa 2 with Allu Arjun, Chhaava with Vicky Kaushal, and Sikander with Salman Khan. All of these were high-grossers at the box office.
Her last film was Kuberaa, starring Dhanush and Nagarjuna. She next has Rahul Ravindran's The Girlfriend along with Thaama co-starring Ayushmann Khurrana.