Knit dress, Shivan & Narresh; gold-plated rings, all Kavya Potluri
….That’s my life, life, baby, I’m a Rockstar” blasts from the speakers one more time. The lyrics are pretty felicitous for the movie star we’re shooting with – because Rashmika Mandanna may be hooked to Thai rapper Lisa’s chartbuster Rockstar for its uptempo beats, but let’s face it, to her legions of fans, the actor is no less than one herself.
Mandanna is not the controversy-courting, scandal-stirring variety of rockstar though. Instead, she sits on the opposite end of the spectrum with her girl-next-door charm. More textbook nice, less ‘bad girl who everyone loves to hate’. It’s no act however, she’s just being herself. Goofy captions on Instagram, spending her time off catching up on sleep (same, sister!), her love for her “dogoo”, and clapping back at trolls with cheeky humour when the situation calls for it – what works in Mandanna’s favour is this sense that she is probably just like you and me. “People connect with authenticity. What they see is the real me, so that brings a lot of love… and hate as well. I understand and welcome them both. We can’t all have the same taste in tea, right?” she says. It’s easy to see why the tag of ‘Crushmika’ or national crush has stuck with her, and shows no signs of departing anytime soon.
When the actor arrives on the sets of the cover shoot, it’s with her mother and sister in tow. She’s running a few hours behind schedule – by her own previous admission, her close friends jokingly call her ‘Rush’mika, because she’s always late – but she’s patient and present for the duration of the shoot. Her professional demeanour and fresh face don’t betray that she was on a film set until 4am that very morning. But then again, Mandanna is no stranger to the no-rest-for-the-wicked nature of her job. After all, her journey to fame is not one you come across every day.
This story is from the November 2024 edition of Grazia India.
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This story is from the November 2024 edition of Grazia India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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