Ever since her Hindi movie release in 2016, Rashmika Mandanna has grown to be a powerful force in Indian cinema, indeed an all-India star. With back-to-back hit movies across Kannada, Telugu, and Bollywood, Rashmika has been on a remarkable career trajectory. Though she leads a private life, the recent whispered love between her and ex-co-star Vijay Deverakonda has raised many eyebrows in the city.
The string of outings and low-key shows of support have fueled rumors, especially after Vijay copped in a recent podcast to their love, waxing lyrical about “unconditional love.” The two were recently seen having lunch together, sporting outfits that matched each other, which just fueled the romance rumors even more.
In a pre-release event of Pushpa 2 in Chennai, Rashmika playfully replied to a question about marrying an industry man: “Everybody knows about it.” This left her fans mesmerized.
This news of Rashmika and Vijay overshadows all their previous romantic relationships. If reports are to be believed, Rashmika was earlier engaged to Kannada actor Rakshit Shetty. The couple did meet on the sets of Kirik Party, which was Rashmika’s first film, in which their on-screen chemistry blossomed into a romance and culminated in their engagement in July 2017.
A video has now surfaced that shows them exchanging rings amidst friends and family celebrating their commitment, with both dressed in matching outfits. At that time, Rashmika was just 21 years old, and Rakshit was 34 years old.
However, this did not last and their engagement was ultimately called off in September 2018. None of them has spoken about the actual reason for the split, but there are enough speculations about it in the media. Surprisingly, however, they have kept a friendly relationship intact with Rakshit mentioning earlier that they exchange well-wishes before film releases and call each other up on special occasions. “She always had big dreams. She is achieving it.”. “She should be given credit for that,” he said in an interview.
On the professional front, Rashmika is all geared up to star in one of the most awaited films of the year, Pushpa 2: The Rule with Allu Arjun, which is set to hit theaters on December 5. This will be followed by Kubera alongside Dhanush, releasing on December 31. Rakshit is presently seen in the two installments of his franchise, Sapta Saagaradaache Ello released in 2023.
