'Proud, content, joyful': Rashmika Mandanna on her successful 2025
What's the story
Rashmika Mandanna has had a phenomenal 2025 with three of her films, Chhaava, Thamma, and The Girlfriend, becoming critical and commercial successes. In a recent interview with Bollywood Hungama, the actor opened up about her career and spoke about how proud she is of this year's achievements. "I'm very proud of the year I've had," she said.
Career reflections
'I'm truly happy'
Mandanna said, "The whole reason we work as hard as we do is to one day feel this way." "Maybe things will get better, or maybe they'll stay the same, but for all the work I put in, it means a lot to see my friends, family, and extended family happy for me." "That happiness reflects back on me. I feel extremely proud, deeply content, joyful, and loved for everything I received in 2025, and I'm truly happy."
Career highlights
'The Girlfriend' was a deeply personal project for Mandanna
Mandanna described her reaction to the script of The Girlfriend as an "instant feeling that this was one of the most important stories to be told right now." She said, "I understood the emotions it carried-I had lived parts of that story even before I became Bhooma. Doing this film was my way of giving a warm tight hug to my younger self. It made me happy long before its release because at its core this was purely for me."
Film's impact
Mandanna grateful for acceptance of 'The Girlfriend'
Mandanna expressed her happiness at the film's success and its acceptance by audiences. "Today seeing people watch the film and connect with it makes me even happier," she said. "I'm incredibly grateful that when you give so much of yourself to cinema it isn't brushed aside, it's accepted, loved, and protected." "That's when you truly feel happy. And that's exactly what The Girlfriend did for me through my character Bhooma."
Role perception
Mandanna's perspective on responsibility and representation
When asked about the perceived responsibility of her role in The Girlfriend, Mandanna said she doesn't see it as such. "I don't see it as a responsibility. I'm a woman and I've always been a girls' girl," she said. "There's no real difference for me, I'm just being myself and staying true." She also thanked director Rahul Ravindran for understanding women so intimately and sensitively through his writing.
Story advocacy
Mandanna's commitment to female-centric stories
Mandanna is happy to see more female-centric stories being told in cinema. "I kept telling my director Rahul Ravindran how thankful I am that a man could understand a woman so intimately and sensitively and feel confident enough to write a character like this," she said. "If there is a responsibility it's to continue telling honest stories from a woman's perspective, and I promise I'll keep working hard to do justice to that."