Rashmika Mandanna

Rashmika Mandanna (born 5 April 1996) is an Indian actress who works mainly in Telugu and Hindi films, and who began her career in Kannada cinema. She is known for leading roles in big-budget action films, and several of her films, including Animal, Pushpa 2: The Rule and Chhaava, are among the highest-grossing Indian films. Her awards include five SIIMA Awards and a Filmfare Award South. Forbes India put her on its 30 Under 30 list in 2024.

Early life and background

Mandanna was born into a Kodava family in Virajpet, in Karnataka's Kodagu district. She went to Coorg Public School in Gonikoppal and then studied psychology, journalism and English literature at M. S. Ramaiah College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Bengaluru. In 2014 she won The Times of India's Clean & Clear Fresh Face title. She then modelled briefly and won the second season of La Mode Bangalore's Top Model Hunt.

Career

Early work and breakthrough (2016–2020)

Rishab Shetty cast Mandanna in the Kannada romantic comedy Kirik Party (2016) as Saanvi, a shy college student. It was the highest-grossing Kannada film of the year and won her the SIIMA Award for Best Debut Actress. She followed it with Anjani Putra and Chamak (both 2017). She moved into Telugu cinema in 2018 with Chalo. Her breakthrough came the same year with the romantic comedy Geetha Govindam, opposite Vijay Deverakonda. It was her first film to cross ₹1 billion in India and won her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress – Telugu. She trained for five months to play a cricketer in Dear Comrade (2019), and starred in the hits Sarileru Neekevvaru and Bheeshma in 2020.

Pan-India recognition (2021–2024)

Her Tamil debut was Sulthan (2021). She has called her next film, Pushpa: The Rise (2021), with Allu Arjun, the most important of her career. For her role as Srivalli she learned the Chittoor dialect of Telugu. She played her first supporting role in Sita Ramam (2022), which brought her a Filmfare nomination. Her Hindi debut was Vikas Bahl's family drama Goodbye (2022), alongside Neena Gupta. In 2023 she starred in Varisu, the spy thriller Mission Majnu and Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal opposite Ranbir Kapoor. Animal was the third highest-grossing Indian film of that year. She played Srivalli again in Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024), which earned more than ₹18 billion worldwide and won her the SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Telugu.

Hindi releases and range (2025–present)

Mandanna had five releases in 2025. In Laxman Utekar's historical film Chhaava she played Maharani Yesubai Bhonsale opposite Vicky Kaushal, and the two spent four weeks learning Marathi for their roles. Chhaava grossed more than ₹8 billion and made her the first Indian actress with three films to cross ₹5 billion in India. She also appeared in Sikandar with Salman Khan, Kuberaa with Dhanush, and the vampire comedy Thamma with Ayushmann Khurrana. In the Telugu drama The Girlfriend, she played a woman in a troubled relationship. Critics praised her performance, and it won her another SIIMA Best Actress award.

Selected filmography

• 2016 — Kirik Party — Saanvi (Kannada)
• 2018 — Geetha Govindam — Lead (Telugu)
• 2021 — Pushpa: The Rise — Srivalli (Telugu)
• 2022 — Sita Ramam — Supporting role (Telugu)
• 2022 — Goodbye — Lead
• 2023 — Mission Majnu — Visually impaired woman
• 2023 — Animal — Geetanjali
• 2024 — Pushpa 2: The Rule — Srivalli (Telugu)
• 2025 — Chhaava — Maharani Yesubai Bhonsale
• 2025 — Thamma — Lead
• 2025 — The Girlfriend — Lead (Telugu)
• 2026 — Cocktail 2 — Diya

Awards and honours

• SIIMA Award for Best Debut Actress — Kirik Party
• Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress – Telugu — Geetha Govindam
• SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Telugu — Pushpa 2: The Rule and The Girlfriend
• Forbes India 30 Under 30 (2024)

Recent and upcoming work

In the 2026 Hindi romance Cocktail 2 she plays Diya, who is caught in a love triangle with the characters played by Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon. She has described the film as a move towards urban stories. Her upcoming films are Mysaa, in which she plays the lead, Ranabaali, and Atlee's Raaka, which reunites her with Allu Arjun.

She married actor Vijay Deverakonda in February 2026.