'We didn’t anticipate the madness': Rashmika Mandanna gets candid about 'Pushpa' success

Rashmika Mandanna is one of the popular actors in the Telugu, Kannada, and Tamil industries. The actor gained immense recognition after starring opposite Allu Arjun in Pushpa: The Rise. Though she was a recognised name in the South, Pushpa made her a Pan-India star. Recently, the 26-year-old actor opened up about the success of the movie, stating that they didn't anticipate the madness of the film.

Rashmika Mandanna opens up on Pushpa's success

In a recent conversation with journalist Siddharth Kannan, Rashmika got candid about how she and the entire team of Pushpa could never imagine that the film would become so massive.

"After one, even two and three months (post the film’s release), people kept messaging us. We didn’t anticipate the madness of the film, but we knew that we had done something right," she noted.

Pushpa, directed by Sukumar, also starred Fahadh Faasil in the lead and turned out to be a huge blockbuster. The film minted over Rs 350 crore at the worldwide box office and also performed great in the Hindi belt which took the industry by surprise. The Rise became the highest-grossing Indian movie in 2021, and when it was in the middle of production, its creators announced a sequel, Pushpa: The Rule, which is presently under production. It's said that the sequel will be bigger and better than the original. A massive Rs 400-crore budget has already been set aside for the film. 

The planned sequel will include a showdown between Allu Arjun's character and rival SP Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat, played by Fahadh Faasil. Rashmika Mandanna will be reprising her role as Srivalli from the original, who has also expressed her desire for a more significant role in Pushpa: The Rule.

On the professional front, Rashmika is gearing up for the release of her upcoming film Goodbye, alongside megastar Amitabh Bachchan, which also marks her Bollywood debut.