She is the top female star in south India right having had numerous blockbusters in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi, and will soon be seen in the Telugu film The Girlfriend releasing on November 7.
He is a National Award-winning director and actor who thought of the story of The Girlfriend 12 years ago and is excited for the world to see her star in his film.
When actor Rashmika Mandanna and director Rahul Ravindran came together for The Girlfriend, the director could not have been more excited about the project he tells NDTV in an exclusive chat.
Rashmika Mandanna - The Perfect Actor
Rashmika plays the character of Bhooma in the film and has Deekshith Shetty playing her boyfriend, Vikram.
Ask Rahul why he chose to cast the Pushpa actor in the film and he smiles and states, "Rashmika Mandanna has no insecurities and is a director's blessing. I have a certain way of working with my actors and Rashmika, I am sure, has a certain way she wants to be directed.
"With both of us it was such a natural fit and it was a blessing to work with her! I love working with all my actors but I think she has been the best. What makes her special is how transparent her eyes are and you can see all the emotions in her eyes. This is her biggest strength and also could be a weakness because you know how she is feeling at any point."
Comparisons To Vijay Deverakonda's Arjun Reddy
When the trailer of The Girlfriend dropped, there were many on social media who wrote that it had the vibes of Vijay Deverakonda's Arjun Reddy.
While Bhooma seems like an innocent young college girl, Vikram comes across a violent, angry, toxic man who takes pleasure in being sadistic. Vikram seemed to have strong shades of Arjun Reddy and The Girlfriend looked like it was a story being told from a woman's gaze.
The Chi La Sow director dismisses the comparisons and says, "Arjun Reddy is a cult film which was a game breaker in cinema and it's a much bigger film. My film is not close to it and honestly, this so-called similarity struck me only after the people on social media pointed it out. I actually thought of the story much before Arjun Reddy came about.
"The trailer of The Girlfriend has deliberately been cut in a non-linear way and it possibly gives that Arjun Reddy vibe - but it is not like that film at all. Rashmika Mandanna in The Girlfriend is not an antithesis to Vijay Deverakonda in Arjun Reddy."
Are Rashmika Mandanna And Vijay Deverakonda Engaged?
Though Rahul made his debut as an actor in Tamil cinema, he has been working in the Telugu film industry as an actor, writer and director for over a decade now and lives in Hyderabad.
Given his close proximity to many in the Telugu film industry and now having worked with Rashmika, it was but natural to ask him if the rumours about Rashmika Mandanna and Vijay Deverakonda's engagement were true.
Them ❤️🥹#RashmikaMandanna ❤️#VijayDeverakonda ❤️ pic.twitter.com/vZMfpFJr8Z
— Rashmika Delhi Fans (@Rashmikadelhifc) August 17, 2025
"I don't know about the rumours and if they are true. Rashmika is a colleague and Vijay Deverakonda is more than an acquaintance for sure. He was very, very sweet to lend his voice for the teaser of The Girlfriend last year. I am the last person to actually comment on someone's personal life," signed off the Sita Ramam actor.
The Girlfriend, presented by Allu Aravind and produced by Dheeraj Mogilineni and Koppineedi Vidya, is set to hit the theatres this Friday.
