Rashmika Mandanna was born on 5 April 1996 in Virajpet, Karnataka, India. She studied at the Coorg Public School before pursuing higher education in Bengaluru. She also worked as a model and won several modelling-related recognitions before entering films.
Rashmika made her acting debut with the Kannada film Kirik Party (2016), opposite Rakshit Shetty. The film became a major success and established her as a promising young actress in Kannada cinema.
She subsequently appeared in Kannada films including Anjani Putra (2017) and Chamak (2017). She then entered Telugu cinema with Chalo (2018).
Her major breakthrough came with Geetha Govindam (2018), in which she starred opposite Vijay Deverakonda. The film became a major commercial success and their on-screen pairing became highly popular. Her performance also earned her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress – Telugu.
Rashmika continued her success with films such as Devadas (2018), Dear Comrade (2019), Sarileru Neekevvaru (2020) and Bheeshma (2020). She made her Tamil-film debut with Sulthan (2021) opposite Karthi and later appeared in Varisu (2023).
Her biggest breakthrough came with Pushpa: The Rise (2021), directed by Sukumar and starring Allu Arjun. Her portrayal of Srivalli and the popularity of the song Saami Saami helped make her a widely recognised pan-India star. She reprised the role in Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024).
Rashmika also expanded into Hindi cinema with Mission Majnu (2023) and Goodbye (2022). She later appeared in Animal (2023) alongside Ranbir Kapoor and Anil Kapoor, further increasing her visibility among Hindi-speaking audiences.
In 2026, Rashmika married actor Vijay Deverakonda. The couple married on 26 February 2026 in Udaipur, Rajasthan and later appeared together in the period action drama Ranabaali.
Rashmika has also continued to receive recognition for her performances. In 2026, she won Best Actress at the Telangana Gaddar Film Awards for The Girlfriend.