When Rashmika Mandanna thought her first film offer was prank call: ‘I blocked the number’

Rashmika Mandanna turned 27 on April 5. The actor, who was last seen in the Tamil movie Varisu, spoke about her acting debut in an old interview, and how she almost did not join films as she thought the first offer she got was a prank. Rashmika recalled that after winning a beauty pageant, she was offered a leading role, but she blocked the number as she thought it was a prank call. Also read: Rashmika Mandanna refuses to dance to Saami Saami anymore, says she’s done hook steps ‘too many times’

In 2016, Rashmika made her acting debut in Kirik Party, which went on to become one of the highest-grossing Kannada films of the year. She won SIIMA Award for the best debut for the role. In 2017, Rashmika appeared in two Kannada films Anjani Putra and Chamak, and since then has worked in many Telugu and Tamil films.

Speaking about how she almost did not make her film debut, Rashmika said in a 2022 interview to Mashable India, “For Kirik Party they wanted someone young with a mature face. I got a call from the production house, but I thought it was a prank call. So, I said, ‘I am not interested in any films sir, please keep the phone down.’ I then blocked the number.”

Rashmika said that after she had blocked the number, the filmmakers tried to contact her through friends and finally through a teacher. She said, “They tried reaching out through every connection they had, because they really wanted to meet me. They finally called my class teacher.” Rashmika said that she finally met the filmmaker under the teacher’s guidance, and told them that she does not know how to act. However, she was finalised for the role after the makers recorded some dialogues on camera.

Last year, Rashmika, who is known for her role in the Telugu film Pushpa: The Rise (2021), made her Bollywood debut with Goodbye. The film also featured Amitabh Bachchan and Neena Gupta. Directed by Vikas Bahl and backed by Ekta Kapoor, the film had Sunil Grover, Pavail Gulati, Ashish Vidyarthi, Elli AvrRam, Sahil Mehta, Shivin Narang, Shayank Shukla, and Arun Bali in supporting roles.

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