Rashmika Mandanna on fandom around her: Expectations do get stressful, but I am my fans’ baby

Actor Rashmika Mandanna enjoys a massive fan following in the Hindi belt despite not having made her Bollywood debut yet. Her 2021 film Pushpa added to that.

When one has such a career high, do future choices become difficult to live up to the expectations of fans?

“I would be lying if I say no, it doesn’t get stressful, but I am my fans’ baby,” she tells us, adding, “I like it when I do something they like. Making them happy is what keeps me going, which keeps me motivated to work harder and keep getting better at what I do. So, I maintain my choices with a good balance of what I want, and what I think they’d all want.”

Talking about being the toast of the fans after Pushpa, the actor says the amount of love that has come her way from all quarters has been truly overwhelming and motivating. “I am always and forever grateful for Pushpa and the audiences’ love only makes me want to work much harder for Pushpa: The Rule and my other projects. Pushpa has transcended languages, boundaries,” she adds.

And 2022 already looks great for Mandanna. This is the year she finally makes her Bollywood debut and has two films — Mission Majnu and Goodbye. She also recently signed Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s next Animal with Ranbir Kapoor.

“I am so thrilled, that the announcement is finally out. I had been waiting to tell the world about it, because not only is the story is so amazing but also the team I get to work with. It’s like a dream come true. I’m looking forward to this summer, and honestly can’t wait for the film to go on floors soon,” she says.

The actor is also celebrating her 26th birthday on April 5 and she says this year is going to be super special for her especially with the recent announcement of Animal.

“It happened while I was on the sets of Goodbye. The past few days have been truly overwhelming, as I can finally talk about my upcoming projects. It’s a partial working birthday for me, this year. The best way to celebrate my birthday is to just be surrounded by work and do what I love doing. My team gave me a half day off on 5th to just to spend some time alone, and meet my friends and closed ones, and in the second half of the day I’ll be travelling for a shoot,” she shares.