Don't Know Where Karnataka Is: Congress MLA Accuses Rashmika Mandanna Of 'Disregarding' Kannada, Brings Back Kirik Party Row

Congress MLA has slammed Rashmika Mandanna for declining an invitation to attend a film festival in Karnataka and calling Hyderabad her home despite starting her career with a Kannada movie. Rashmika debuted with the 2016 Kannada movie Kirrik Party, featuring her ex-fiance Rakshit Shetty. However, since then the actress has received several accolades in the Telugu film industry, with her career-best movies Pushpa and Pushpa 2, being Tollywood releases. The actress' refusal to attend the film festival did not sit well with the minister who alleged that she should be taught ‘a lesson’ for the same.

What did Congress MLA Ravikumar Gowda Ganiga say about Rashmika Mandanna?

On March 3, Congress MLA Ravikumar Gowda Ganiga was at Vidhana Soudha where he spoke harshly about Rashmika Mandanna. This is not the first time the actress has faced accusations of abandoning her home state. Despite making her debut with a Kannada movie, it has been accused time and again that the Pushpa fame has disassociated from the Sandalwood industry. She has reportedly steered away from the Kannada film industry and cemented her footing in Tollywood and Bollywood instead. 

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Talking to ANI, he said “Rashmika Mandanna, who started her career with the Kannada movie Kirik Party in Karnataka, refused to attend the International Film Festival last year when we invited her. She said, 'I have my house in Hyderabad, I don’t know where Karnataka is, and I don’t have time. I can't come'.” He recalled that his party members personally visited her residence to extend an invitation, but she declined it. He asserted, "One of our legislator friends visited her house 10–12 times to invite her, but she refused and even disregarded Kannada, despite growing up in the industry here. Shouldn’t we teach them a lesson?" The minister's statements have now gone viral online.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister lambasts Sandalwood actors 

On Saturday, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also slammed the top Karnataka film industry artists. He expressed displeasure with no Sandalwood stars attending the 16th edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival. He questioned the absence of the big actors from the inaugural ceremony and issued a stern warning against them.

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He said, “If actors, producers, and directors don’t share this sentiment, what’s the point of an international film festival? Consider this a warning or request to the Film Chamber and Academy. Cinema isn’t just for a few—government support is crucial." He also asserted that he knows of ways to keep the industry in check.