Earlier this year, we saw her in the entertainer Chalo. Making her Telugu debut through the film, she was referred to as the girl from Kirik Party. She had cruised through her part in the blockbuster Kannada musical romance with such ease that it looked like she had a way with the camera. “I was just 19 when I shot for the film. I am more like Saanvi (her character name) in real life, mature beyond my age; so it didn’t feel tough,” Rashmika recalls when we begin to chat.
Her new Telugu film Geetha Govindam, directed by Parasuram, is scheduled to release on August 15. She has already been drawing attention thanks to the conversational promotional strategy that had her and Vijay Deverakonda tweeting to each other ‘in character’, she as Geetha and he as Govind. “The idea was to familiarise people with our characters before they watch the film,” says Rashmika.
Understanding language
The exchange of tweets had her being sarcastic, borderline cynical and even dismissive of Govind (Vijay Deverakonda). “I can’t stand him at all in the film. This is my first grumpy character,” she laughs. The tweet conversations have been in Telugu, spelt out in English. Along the journey, Rashmika fine-tuned her Telugu and has also dubbed for the film: “While shooting for Chalo and Geetha Govindam, people in the unit spoke to me in Telugu and helped me understand the lines. It doesn’t feel right to memorise dialogues and utter them without understanding; how do you get the emotions right?”
‘Rashmika Mandanna in ‘Kirik Party’
Even when Geetha Govindam was in its initial stages, she was roped in for Devadas that stars Nagarjuna, Nani and Aakanksha Singh, apart from Dear Comrade with Vijay Deverakonda in which she’s a cricketer. “Interesting projects came my way and I was game,” she grins. Which meant that she had to put her post-graduation plans on hold. She was doing her bachelor’s course in journalism, literature and psychology, when modelling paved her way to cinema: “I remember studying on the sets of Kirik Party to make up for the lost time in college. I still managed to get distinctions.”
Aspirational journey
Rashmika hails from Virajpet in Kodagu district of Karnataka, cut away from cinema. “I was never a movie buff,” she discloses. “For us, travelling to Bengaluru for a holiday was a big deal; it was our Paris. Getting to stay in the big city, shop and explore seemed fun. I hoped I would get to at least study in Bengaluru, if not live there. Looking at how my life has changed, it all seems unbelievable,” she states. Back home, her parents are happy about her work and the recognition she gets, but they don’t miss a chance to tell her how much they miss her and want her back home.
Engaged to her Kirik Party co-star Rakshit Shetty, Rashmika is taking her time to plan the road ahead. “I had always wanted to date someone for a while, get to know him better before thinking of a life with him. That isn’t easy if you are an actor since people get talking. So Rakshit and I decided to get engaged. We both have our respective film commitments and find very little time to be with each other,” says the 22-year-old.
Speaking of Rakshit, she notes how he transforms into different characters: “I am lucky to have worked with him and actors like Vijay (Deverakonda) and Nani. They not only have great screen presence, but the ability to blend into any role.” I had always wanted to date someone for a while, get to know him better before thinking of a life with him. That isn’t easy if you are an actor since people begin talking about you. So Rakshit and I got engaged.
Rashmika mentions learning Bharatanatyam as a child and performing on stage many a time. “I get nervous if I am asked go to on stage and talk. But when I dance, I forget everything. It was initially scary to face the camera. I learnt that acting is about reacting to situations,” she explains.
With Kannada and Telugu films on her list, she’s keen to work in Tamil and Malayalam films as well.