#WomanCrushWednesday! Rashmika Mandanna's quirky-yet-alluring poses are winning the internet

With an impeccable success ratio in Telugu cinema, Kannada bombshell Rashmika Mandanna is proving to be the lucky mascot for several star heroes. Though her last outing Dear Comrade failed miserably at the ticket counters, the most happening beauty of South cinema bounced back to form in 2020 with the monstrous success of Sarileru Neekevvaru. While her hilarious antics struck the right chord with the family audience, her arresting dance moves opposite Mahesh Babu in Mind Block has sent the masses into frenzy.

Rashmika’s latest release Bheeshma is also running to packed houses in the Telugu states and the US. Meanwhile, her eye-popping postures from a recent photo-shoot are doing the rounds on social media from the past few days. Draped in a floral gown, the 23-year-old actress managed to strike several quirky poses and within minutes, memes started to emerge on social media comparing their antics to Tamil comedian Vadivelu’s expressions.

Hailing from the small town of Virajpet in Karnataka, Rashmika was born into a typical middle-class family and never aspired to become an actress. During her college days, she started to do modelling and subsequently, in 2012, she bagged the Fresh Face of India title and was made the brand ambassador of the cosmetic company which sponsored it. The makers of ‘Kirik Party’ spotted the teenage beauty in magazine photos and approached her to act in the film. She was pursuing her bachelor’s course in journalism, literature and psychology when modelling paved her way to cinema.

Rashmika’s maiden film ‘Kirik Party’ released to an overwhelming response from moviegoers and emerged victorious at the box-office. Besides the music and Rakshit Shetty, the splendid performance by the debutante in the short-yet-impactful role of Saanvi Joseph received critical acclaim. She followed it up with a terrific act opposite Puneeth Rajkumar in the action-masala film ‘Anjani Putra’. After featuring in ‘Chamak’ (2017), Rashmika spent an entire year in Tollywood and returned to Sandalwood in 2019 with ‘Yajamana’. The action-drama released to a stupendous response in Karnataka and raked in big moolah. This proved that Mandanna is the golden girl of Kannada cinema!

After an impressive debut opposite Naga Shaurya in the 2018 romantic-comedy ‘Chalo’, Rashmika became an overnight celebrity in the Telugu states with the massive success of ‘Geetha Govindam’. She portrayed the titular role of Geetha with ease and is natural with her emotions. Along with modern outfits, she looked drop-dead gorgeous in a saree and her crackling chemistry with Vijay Deverakonda is spot on. Both her Telugu releases in 2020 have registered stupendous victories at the box-office.

During the promotional interviews of Bheeshma, Rashmika Mandanna opened up about how she spent her Valentine’s Day on February 14. Admitting that the day was boring, she said “I visited gym in the morning. But, to my surprise, the workout didn’t go as planned. So, I went home and watched a romantic movie to soak myself in the spirit of Valentine’s Day. But, 20 minutes into the movie, I got so bored that I dozed off. My Valentine’s Day was so boring, and I hope nobody gets such a boring Feb 14th ever.”

During the festive season of Pongal, Rashmika Mandanna was amongst the headlines as officials from the Income Tax Department have conducted search-and-seizure operations on her properties located in her hometown Virajpet. On January 16, a team of IT sleuths from Bengaluru not only searched the young actress residence but also other assets, including a community hall owned by the family in Virajpet. Upon orders, Rashmika and her dad Madan Mandanna have appeared at the IT office in Mysuru on Monday (January 22) and furnished all the necessary documents. Addressing the media, Madan said, “The IT officials have sought some documents and we are here to submit them.”