Just weeks after one of Indian cinema’s most celebrated weddings, actress Rashmika Mandanna has found herself at the centre of an unwelcome controversy, one she is now fighting back against with full force. On Thursday, March 12, the Pan India star broke her silence over an alleged audio clip featuring her mother, Suman Mandanna, that has been widely circulating on social media, calling it a deliberate invasion of privacy and issuing a stern 24-hour ultimatum to those spreading it.
The clip is believed to originate from a private conversation that took place nearly eight years ago, around the time Rashmika was engaged to her Kirik Party co-star, Kannada actor Rakshit Shetty. The pair got engaged in July 2017 but parted ways in 2018, citing mutual incompatibility. In the recording, Suman Mandanna is heard discussing tensions that reportedly arose between the two families during that period, including an alleged demand that Rashmika quit acting after marriage.
The resurfaced clip appears to be from an interview Suman Mandanna gave to a Kannada news channel around that time. The timing of its circulation has drawn sharp criticism. Rashmika tied the knot with actor Vijay Deverakonda on February 26 in an intimate ceremony, followed by a grand reception in Hyderabad on March 4, attended by film stars and dignitaries from across the country.
Taking to her social media on Thursday, Rashmika issued a detailed statement that was equal parts personal and firm. She described years of sustained harassment and misinformation directed at her, writing: “It has been 8 years since a sustained campaign of misinformation, harassment, and targeted attacks from a section of the media and individuals online had started against me. I have watched as my words have been taken out of context, as words I never uttered were spun into false narratives, and hate has been amplified for the sake of views, reach, and engagement.”
The actress was unequivocal that the circulating clip had been deliberately stripped of context. She stated that the audio was from a private conversation from nearly eight years ago, shared without the knowledge or consent of those involved, and that a small portion had been deliberately taken out of context and circulated widely to create yet another controversy, one strategically timed to coincide with recent developments in her personal life.
Rashmika was also open about what pushed her to finally act after years of restraint. “For eight years, while the attacks were restricted to me, I chose silence. Today, while others are being drawn into this, I cannot stay silent any longer. I choose to draw a boundary,” she wrote.
Addressing the impact on those around her, the actress stated: “How far can people go? In doing so, they have dragged my family along with people I share cordial relationships with, who have absolutely nothing to do with this matter, into discomfort. This constitutes a serious invasion of privacy and the circulation of misleading and defamatory material.”
Her statement concluded with a clear warning. She urged all media platforms, influencers, and individuals circulating the content to remove it immediately, giving them 24 hours to comply. She added that failing this, “appropriate legal action will be initiated including the issuance of legal notices to individuals, influencers, digital platforms, or media organisations involved in the continued circulation of defamatory or privacy-violating content.”
Closing on a note of gratitude and resolve, Rashmika wrote: “To everyone who has supported me with kindness, understanding, and love through the years, I remain deeply grateful. I love you and want you to know that random people will not and cannot dictate how we live. We choose.”
This has reignited a broader conversation about the boundaries of media intrusion into celebrities’ personal lives particularly in the immediate aftermath of a wedding. For Rashmika, a star who has straddled both Bollywood and Telugu cinema with films like Animal, Pushpa, and Thamma, the incident underscores the price that often comes with public life. This time, however, she has made clear she will not pay it quietly.
