Viral audio of Rashmika Mandanna’s mother on past with Rakshit Shetty sparks row, actor warns of legal action

The clip, which has gone viral in recent days, is said to feature Suman Mandanna speaking about events surrounding Rashmika’s past engagement to actor Rakshit Shetty. The audio surfaced weeks after Rashmika’s wedding to actor Vijay Deverakonda on February 26 this year.

Reports suggest the audio is not recent and is believed to be from an interview Suman Mandanna gave to a Kannada news channel around eight years ago. Reacting to the circulation of the clip, Rashmika criticised the sharing of what she described as an old private conversation and warned of possible legal action if it is not removed.

What is the audio clip about?

Rashmika Mandanna and Rakshit Shetty first met while working on the 2016 Kannada film Kirik Party. The two later got engaged in 2017 but called off the engagement in 2018, stating that they had mutually decided to part ways.

The resurfaced clip is said to be from an interview Suman Mandanna gave to film journalist Mahesh Devishetty, according to reports by OneIndia. In the audio, she reportedly spoke about disagreements that allegedly arose between the two families during the engagement period.

According to her account, the family had initially supported the relationship even though Rashmika was young at the time. She alleged that tensions later developed and that arguments occurred between the families.

Suman Mandanna also claimed that Rakshit Shetty sometimes created issues over minor matters and allegedly tried to influence Rashmika’s professional decisions.

She further alleged that when Rashmika received an offer for the 2018 film Geetha Govindam, there was pressure on her to post a message on social media stating she would quit acting.

She also described an incident that she said was particularly distressing. According to her account in the interview, the night before the release of Geetha Govindam, Rakshit Shetty and his manager allegedly called Rashmika late at night and asked her to travel from Hyderabad to Bengaluru immediately to meet him.

In the interview, Suman Mandanna also spoke emotionally in Kannada about disagreements between the families.

She claimed that one of the final demands made to Rashmika was to publicly announce on social media that she would leave acting after marriage.

Rashmika Mandanna’s response

Following the circulation of the clip, Rashmika Mandanna issued a detailed statement on X, urging people to stop sharing the audio.

In her statement, the actor said she had faced “misinformation, harassment and targeted attacks” from a section of the media and individuals online for nearly eight years.

She said the recently circulated clip appeared to be part of an old private conversation that had been recorded and shared without the knowledge or consent of those involved.

“A small portion of that conversation has now been deliberately taken out of context and circulated widely to create yet another discomforting controversy — strategically coinciding with recent developments in my personal life,” she said.

Rashmika also said that circulating the audio amounted to an invasion of privacy and the spread of misleading and defamatory material.

She urged media platforms, influencers, and individuals sharing the clip to remove it within 24 hours, warning that legal action would be taken against those who continue to circulate the content.

The actor added that she had remained silent in the past when criticism was directed at her, but decided to speak out now because the issue had drawn her family into the controversy.