Hyderabad: Rashmika Mandanna has been a subject of scrutiny and criticism ever since she called off her engagement with Kannada star Rakshit Shetty and expanded her acting horizons beyond the Kannada film industry. Despite her success in projects like Geetha Govindam, she has faced backlash from Kannada cinema enthusiasts for seemingly prioritizing projects in other languages over Kannada films. This has led to speculation of a feud between Rashmika and director Rishab Shetty, known for helming her debut film Kirik Party.
The controversy escalated when Rishab Shetty made a statement at an IFFI 2023 press conference last week. He expressed his desire not to be the kind of person who achieves success in Kannada cinema and then leaves the industry. Many interpreted this as a veiled dig at Rashmika Mandanna, given the context of her expanding career beyond Kannada borders. A fan on social media pointed this out in a tweet, leading to severe backlash for allegedly misinterpreting Rishab's statement. The fan later corrected himself and apologized for the misunderstanding.
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No problem, ☺️ finally someone understood what I really meant to say. https://t.co/qrHPcgLnij
— Rishab Shetty (@shetty_rishab) December 1, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">No problem, ☺️ finally someone understood what I really meant to say. https://t.co/qrHPcgLnij
— Rishab Shetty (@shetty_rishab) December 1, 2023No problem, ☺️ finally someone understood what I really meant to say. https://t.co/qrHPcgLnij
— Rishab Shetty (@shetty_rishab) December 1, 2023
Rishab Shetty, in response to the tweet, shared it and acknowledged that someone had finally understood the intended meaning behind his statement. This move by Rishab may suggest an attempt to clarify that his comments were not specifically aimed at Rashmika Mandanna.
In a previous interview, Rishab Shetty was questioned about whether Rashmika Mandanna was perceived as ungrateful to the Kannada film industry, especially given that she had not watched Kantara during its critical acclaim. Rishab responded by citing the numerous artists, directors, and producers the industry has supported, stating that there's a long list of people they've launched. He seemingly downplayed any negativity surrounding Rashmika's engagement with Kannada cinema.
Currently, Rishab Shetty is immersed in the development of Kantara 2, the prequel to the successful first installment. On the other hand, Rashmika Mandanna's latest film, Animal, hit screens on Friday.
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