Rashmika Mandanna

Rashmika Mandanna (born April 5, 1996, Virajpet, Karnataka, India) is an Indian actress who is known for her girl-next-door image and charming screen presence. She is regarded as a pan-India film star because of her work in cinema across several languages—Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi. Her best-known films include Pushpa: The Rise (2021) and its sequel, Pushpa: The Rule (2024), and Animal (2023).

Early life and career

Rashmika Mandanna was born to entrepreneur Madan Mandanna and Suman Mandanna and has a younger sister, Shiman. The family lived in the Kodagu district of Karnataka state. Rashmika attended Coorg Public School and the Mysore Institute of Commerce and Arts. In 2017 she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, journalism, and literature from the MS Ramaiah College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Bengaluru. She began modeling while in college and won a model competition for the brand Clean & Clear. She was noticed by producers in the Kannada film industry and cast as the female lead in Kirik Party (2016). Her parents were apprehensive about her career choice—her father had hoped she would join him in business—but there was no looking back after the box office success of Kirik Party.

Rise to stardom

Over the next few years, Mandanna’s star rose gradually with such films as the action comedy Anjaniputra (2017; “Son of Anjani”), the romance Geetha Govindam (2018), the dramatic Dear Comrade (2019), and the action drama Sulthan (2021). She was one of South Indian cinema’s top actresses when the action drama Pushpa: The Rise (2021) magnified her fame and thrust her into the national spotlight. Mandanna was praised for her performance as Srivalli, the love interest of the titular Pushpa (played by Allu Arjun), a laborer who rises through the ranks of a criminal organization to become a dreaded gangster. Regarded as a pan-India film because of its release in several languages—it was made in Telugu and dubbed in Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam—Pushpa: The Rise was a smash hit.

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Mandanna capitalized on the success of Pushpa: The Rise with a series of notable releases. She appeared in Sita Ramam (2022; “Sita and Ram”) with Malayalam superstar Dulquer Salmaan and made her Bollywood debut in Goodbye (2022), opposite film legend Amitabh Bachchan. In 2023 she costarred with Ranbir Kapoor in the blockbuster but controversial Animal, which faced criticism for its violent content as well as allegations of misogyny in its portrayal of female characters. Mandanna reprised her role as Srivalli in Pushpa: The Rule (2024), the sequel to Pushpa: The Rise. The sequel also performed spectacularly at the box office and is ranked among the highest-grossing Indian movies.

Mandanna’s winning streak continued with a string of releases in 2025. She played the Maratha queen Yesubai opposite Vicky Kaushal as Sambhaji, leader of the Maratha empire, in the hit historical drama Chhaava (“Lion Cub”). She costarred with Salman Khan in Sikandar, playing his wife, who dies in a bombing. She was cast alongside South Indian superstars Nagarjuna and Dhanush in Kuberaa, an action drama about corruption. In the hit horror comedy Thamma (“Leader”), she played a vampire opposite Ayushmann Khurrana. Her last release of the year was The Girlfriend, in which she played a young woman trapped in a toxic romantic relationship. In 2026 she starred with Kriti Sanon and Shahid Kapoor in Cocktail 2.

Personal life

Mandanna has been dubbed “the national crush” by her legion of fans. Her Pushpa costar Allu Arjun nicknamed her “Crushmika,” a play on her name. In February 2026, after months of speculation about her romantic life, she married Vijay Deverakonda, her costar in Geetha Govindam and Dear Comrade.