Bengaluru: Kannada film actress Rashmika Mandanna has come under fire from Karnataka Congress MLA Ravikumar Gowda Ganiga, who has accused her of neglecting the Kannada language and culture despite her roots in Karnataka.
Speaking to reporters at Vidhana Soudha on Monday, Ganiga expressed strong discontent over Rashmika’s alleged reluctance to associate with Kannada cinema.
"Rashmika Mandanna, who started her career with the Kannada movie Kirik Party, refused to attend the International Film Festival last year when we invited her. She said, ‘I have my house in Hyderabad, I don’t know where Karnataka is, and I don’t have time. I can't come’,” he alleged.
The MLA further claimed that a fellow legislator had visited Rashmika’s residence multiple times to invite her, but she repeatedly declined, disregarding Kannada despite having started her career in the industry. "Shouldn’t we teach them a lesson?" he asked.
The controversy comes in the wake of Rashmika’s recent remarks at an event for her film Chhaava, where she introduced herself as being "from Hyderabad" and expressed her wish to be part of the audience’s family. The statement disappointed many of her Kannada fans, who perceived it as an attempt to distance herself from her Karnataka roots.
Hailing from Kodagu, Rashmika made her debut in the Kannada film industry before gaining national fame through Telugu and Hindi films. She has since starred in successful projects such as Geetha Govindam, Dear Comrade, and Pushpa: The Rise.
Currently, Rashmika is basking in the success of Chhaava, which has emerged as India's highest-grossing film of 2025, collecting over ?600 crore at the box office. She will next be seen in Sikandar alongside Salman Khan, slated for an Eid release.
