Actress Rashmika Mandanna has found herself at the center of a controversy following allegations that she refused to attend the Bengaluru International Film Festival and disregarded the Kannada language. Now, a source close to Rashmika has dismissed these claims, calling the reports 'completely false.'
The controversy erupted after Karnataka Congress MLA Ravi Ganiga accused the actress of declining multiple invitations to attend the film festival.
During an interaction with the media on March 3, Ganiga alleged, "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.' One of our legislator friends visited her house 10–12 times to invite her, but she refused and even disregarded Kannada, despite growing up in the industry here. Shouldn't we teach her a lesson?"
The MLA went as far as suggesting to the government that it consider withdrawing subsidies given to Rashmika’s films as a consequence of her alleged behavior.
Rashmika's team denies MLA's allegations
Amid the swirling allegations, a source close to Rashmika has provided a statement to set the record straight.
According to a report in News 24, the source mentioned, "This bears reference to certain news reports alleging that Rashmika refused to attend the Bengaluru film festival and made derogatory statements about it and the state. The said news reports are completely false and do not have any element of truth."
"The statements attributed to Rashmika and the entire story about someone approaching Rashmika and she refusing to attend the Bengaluru film festival are incorrect. This statement is being issued for placing the correct facts on record and for quelling any false narratives," the source added.
Will release document proof publicly: MLA
On March 4, Ganiga said he has proof that Rashmika declined the invitation. While interacting with media persons, he said, "It is not Rashmika's statement but Rashmika's team's statement. We will release the document (proof) publicly that we had invited Rashmika to the film festival (Bengaluru Film Festival) but she refused."
The controversy follows Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's public disappointment over the low turnout of the Kannada film industry at the festival's inauguration on March 1. Shivakumar had opened up about the importance of the event for the Kannada film fraternity, questioning the absence of actors, directors, and producers.
Adding fuel to the fire, Rashmika recently sparked backlash from pro-Kannada groups over a statement at an event where she referred to herself as being from Hyderabad. Critics pointed out that the actress began her career in the Kannada industry and expressed disappointment over what they saw as a dismissive comment towards her roots.
As of now, Rashmika Mandanna, who has gained national fame with films in Telugu and Hindi, has not personally responded to the allegations made by MLA Ravi Ganiga.
