'Wish to do as many different characters as possible': Rashmika Mandanna about her film choices

Rashmika Mandanna is one of the actresses in Indian cinema who has stood out tall and distinct with her movie choices. Not only did her movie do well, but even her portrayals stood out differently with not just audiences but also superstars who couldn’t resist heaping praise on her for her roles. With a foot in multiple industries and a growing list of powerful performances, Rashmika says she approaches each project individually, not by the norms of the industry it belongs to.

“I’ve realised that the approach to filmmaking in different industries is rather different. That being said, I approach every film as an individual project; I don’t approach it like an industry,” Rashmika shared in a recent interview with The Nod magazine.

“So, when the story is narrated to me, sometimes it matters to me. Okay, I am the lead of the film, so what is the graph of the character? That is the majority of the time. But sometimes, you listen to a story as a whole and you want to be a part of it.”

One such example, she says, is Chhaava, the historical blockbuster drama based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. “The title of the film is Chhaava, so you know this film is all about Maharaj Sambhaji. But Yesubai is such a beautiful character. Stories like this you just want to be a part of.”
While Rashmika was super excited to be part of grand, ensemble narratives like Chhaava, she is equally enthusiastic about performance-driven roles like the upcoming The Girlfriend. “That is all about this girl. I don’t want to be typecast, so I want to do as many different characters and as many different films as possible.”

With Pushpa, Animal and Kuberaa, Rashmika is proving herself as an actor driven by story and substance, rather than genre or fame. This has helped her really stand tall as the queen of Pan India cinema, with her films collectively grossing over 2000 crore rupees at the box office.