Playing Srivalli, Maharani Yesubai made me braver as an actor, says Rashmika

Rashmika Mandanna says playing Srivalli in Pushpa and Maharani Yesubai in Chhaava made her a braver actor. The actress, now also an entrepreneur, reflected on how these powerful roles shaped her instincts and emotional honesty on screen.

Mumbai: Actress and “National Crush” Rashmika Mandanna has spoken about the roles that have transformed her personally, saying that playing Srivalli in the Pushpa franchise and Maharani Yesubai in Chhaava made her a braver actor.

Asked if there has been a role or a film that changed you as a person, Rashmika, who is also an entrepreneur with her fragrance brand Dear Diary, told IANS: “Yes! Pushpa and Chhaava have really inspired me.”

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She went on to reveal that it’s Srivalli and Maharani Yesubai that has transformed her. “Playing Srivalli and Maharani Yesubai truly made me braver as an actor. It taught me a lot. They both are strong, fearless, and unapologetically themselves,” she said. The actress added: “Portraying them taught me to lead with honesty, to trust my instincts, and to bring raw emotion to every scene”

Talking about the “Pushpa” franchise, the Telugu drama film series created by Sukumar. The series stars Allu Arjun and Rashmika in pivotal roles.

The first installment “Pushpa: The Rise” released in 2021, where Arjun played Pushpa Raj a laborer who rises through the ranks of a red sandalwood smuggling syndicate in the late 1990s. He starts out working for a small sum, but dreams of a better life. It became the highest-grossing Indian film of 2021.

The second installment, Pushpa 2: The Rule, was released in 2024. The sequel broke several opening day records and became the highest day-one grossing film ever in India. The film followed Pushpa Raj, a labourer-turned-red sandalwood smuggler, facing growing threats from his enemies, including SP Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat.

It eventually emerged as the highest-grossing Indian film of 2024, highest-grossing film in India, second highest-grossing Telugu film, and the Third highest-grossing Indian film of all time.

Meanwhile, Chhaava is an epic historical action film based on the life of Sambhaji Maharaj, the second ruler of the Maratha Empire, who is played by Vicky Kaushal. An adaptation of the Marathi novel Chhava by Shivaji Sawant, it is directed by Laxman Utekar.