Rashmika Mandanna says tags like ‘national crush’ don't convert to ticket sales: ‘The films you do matter’

Ahead of Chhaava's release, Rashmika Mandanna talks about juggling Hindi and Telugu films, her ‘national crush’ tag, her upcoming film and more.

Actor Rashmika Mandanna says she doesn't mind tags like "national crush" given to her by fans but they don't define her as an artist. At just 28, Mandanna has emerged as one of the biggest stars of recent times and enjoys a pan-India fan-following due to the success of her movies like Geetha Govindam, Dear Comrade, Bheeshma, Sita Ramam, Varisu and Pushpa franchise.

Rashmika Mandanna on ‘national crush’ tag

As an actor, Rashmika said what matters to her the most is the love people shower on her films.

“I don't think having tags will help you in your career, that is coming from a space of love from your fans. They want to call you like that and they will, but again, all these tags are just tags. What the films that you do and the audiences' love, which convert into tickets that they buy for a Friday film watching, I think that is special to me,” the actor told PTI in an interview.

She started her career with the 2016 Kannada movie Kirik Party, and at the time, the actor thought it would be "one film and out" for her. “But here I am, 24 films down. And I just feel blessed because there are so many prettier women, there's so many more talented women, and there's so many gorgeous women out there but I'm just having this journey of my own.”

"I feel really connected with my audience or my well wishers... And I want to keep that really close to my heart and keep doing my films that I'm doing," Rashmika said.

On juggling Hindi and Telugu

The actor featured in two blockbusters from the North and South film industries in the last two years.

She starred opposite Ranbir Kapoor in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's 2023 movie Animal, which earned over ₹1,000 crore at the box office. She then reprised her fan-favourite role of Srivalli in Pushpa 2: The Rule, which has amassed over ₹1,800 crore in worldwide collection.

When asked about her thought process for picking up projects in the two film industries, Rashmika said it has now become a challenge.

"To be very honest, today if an event in South and an event in Hindi need me at the same time, it's hard. But I know how much love I have received from everywhere, so it's just my responsibility to say 'bye bye' to my sleep and just turn up.

"I'm someone who loves people... I prioritise their love first. So I think that keeps me going, that makes me feel like it's okay if I have to shoot two-three films at the same time. I still will. It's okay if I have to do a double shift, but I will," she said.

And Rashmika can do anything to get love from her fans. "When a film is released, and people watch it and show their love to me, it just gives me that high. And I crave for that high; I crave for that love. So, I can do anything to get that love from them," she added.

Chhaava with Vicky Kaushal

Her latest project is the Hindi historical action movie Chhaava, in which she stars opposite Vicky Kaushal. Directed by Laxman Utekar,Chhaava will see Vicky in the role of Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, who was the son of Maratha empire founder Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Rashmika essays the role of Sambhaji Maharaj’s wife, Maharani Yesubai, and she said the project came as a surprise to her.

"I didn't expect that it would come to me. And this was a massive, extremely big opportunity," she said, adding that she sought guidance from Utekar and the film's producer, Dinesh Vijan while preparing for the part.

"They told me to figure out the language bit of it, and everything else will be taken care of. And for me, I was like, 'okay, these are characters from our history books, so I can't get it wrong. So what can I do more to get this right?'

“After that, of course, we sat for months and months for the language bit of it and in the end, during the dubbing time, we got it right. We pretty much reached where we wanted to go.”

Chhaava is about Sambhaji Maharaj but Yesubai was the queen and has an impactful role in the movie, she added.

"Whilst he (Sambhaji) was out there fighting the war, she had to run this kingdom. In his ten to twelve years of journey, about nine to ten years, he was in the war... And that part pulled me into doing the film because I just was blown away by how creative, like so smart and so intelligent these people were, and these are unsung heroes. And I wanted to be a part of the storytelling."

On the film's sets, Rashmika said she had a great time. "I like more traditional attire than Western or whatever, so I was very happy.

"On set, I want to be like, I don't know anything. So whatever the inputs directors or co-actors give me, that's what I portray. All of that preparation was done. And when we did our first scene, it just felt right. It just felt so beautiful. And it just felt like it was Sambhaji Maharaj and Yesubai Maharani. It was just their moment," the actor said.

Chhaava, which also stars Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, and Ashutosh Rana, is scheduled to be released in theatres on Friday.