Rashmika Mandanna

Rashmika Mandanna was born on 5 April 1996 to Suman and Madan Mandanna into a Kodava Hindu family in Virajpet, a town in Kodagu district, Karnataka. Her father owns a coffee estate and a function hall in her hometown, and her mother is a homemaker. She has a younger sister, Shiman. As a child, Rashmika's family struggled financially, and had difficulties finding a home and paying rent; according to Rashmika, her parents could not afford to buy her toys and the experience has continued to influence her relationship with money. Rashmika attended Coorg Public School, a boarding school in Gonikoppal. During this phase of her life, Rashmika was often misunderstood due to her struggles with communication, making connecting with her peers difficult. Rashmika credits her mother for being stabilising influence in her life and labelled her "my biggest strength". Rashmika studied for a bachelor's degree in Psychology, Journalism and English Literature at M. S. Ramaiah College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Bangalore. Despite her parents' initial hesitation towards Rashmika's pursuit of an acting career due to her unassertive personality, her parents granted her permission to go ahead with her plans. In 2014, Rashmika was awarded The Times of India's Clean & Clear Fresh Face that recognizes individuals with the greatest potential for future success; the award was presented to her by Akshay Kumar and she was subsequently made a brand ambassador for Clean & Clear as part of the winning reward. This was followed by a brief career in modelling, which Rashmika believed would ease her transition into acting. Rashmika began dating Rakshit Shetty, her co-star in Kirik Party, during the making of the film, and they announced their engagement on 3 July 2017 at a private party in her hometown Virajpet. They ended their engagement in September 2018, citing compatibility issues.