Bhubaneswar: When leading ladies of Bollywood struggles to shine, a south starlet is apparently having the arch light riveted on her.
The year 2025 is waiting with a crown to adorn the southern beauty. The 28-year old seems shining big to become the top leading lady of Bollywood soon.
It seems the 80s era is back when leading south ladies Sridevi and Jayaprada were ruling the bollywood. The south stars were having the field day in Hindi cinema by playing the leading actress against the likes of industry bigwigs like Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun Ckaraborty, Jeetendra, Vinod Khanna and Dharmendra, and also with the emerging stars like Jackie Shroff, Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt and Anil Kapoor et al.
This southern beauty Rashmika Mandanna is seemingly on demand in bollywood. The ‘national crush’ has the flashlight zoomed on her after the back to back blockbuster success of Animal, Pushpa 2 The rule and Chhaava.
With Rashmika stealing the spotlight right now in Hindi Cinema, especially after the super success of Vicky Kaushal starred Chhaava, and with Salman Khan starred Sikandar loading, is the girl with infectious smile setting into the boots of the mighty SRIDEVI?
AN ANECDOTE
Here is an interesting anecdote that shows the ‘national crush’ girl is hoping into getting into the shoes of the number one heroine of bollywood – SRIDEVI!
It was the year 2020 when Star heroine Rashmika Mandanna had a brief chitchat with her Instagram followers.
In her chitchat, the talented beauty asked her fans if they want to see her playing the titular role in the biopic on iconic yesteryear heroines either Sridevi or Soundarya.
And the unanimous fans reponse has been that they want to see her in Sridevi biopic. Rashmika then told her fans that even she wants to act in Sridevi biopic.
Though she revealed her dream role, but as of now no filmmaker has decided to make any biopic of the legendary actress Sridevi.
Rashmika’s super excitement to play Sridevi on the big screen leads to another big STORY.
The story here is Rashmika certainly has in her minds the dream aim to get into the shoes of SRIDEVI.
SRIDEVI – WHY CALLED ‘DEVI AND DIVA’
With perfect almond eyes engraved on a circle like face, sporting an eyebrow with angled arches tapering to longer endings, and the glint-eyed et al has made the actress Sridevi earned the title of DEVI on screen.
The raw talent, passion and confidence in her have brought her the crown of DIVA on screen.
The south Indian actress has ventured into the world of Hindi Cinema in 1979 with the film Solwan Savan, a remake of blockbuster Tamil movie 16 Vayathinile. She was the leading actress in the Tamil film opposite the big stars like Kamal Hasan and Rajnikanth.
In the Hindi version, too, she played the lead actress against Rajnikanth and Kamal Hasan. But the film bombed.
Four years later, she featured in another Telugu remake Himmatwala opposite Jeetendra. The film turned superhit. And Sridevi became the lady Supestar.
By the mid 80s, big directors were eating out of her hand. Sridevi had become a top star in Hindi films with hits like Tohfa (1984) and Nagina (1986).
She proved her range as an artist in Mr India. Her comic sense in Hawa Hawai and the Charlie Chaplin sequence, coupled with her sensual show in the “Kaate nahi kat-te” rain dance, cemented her Number One position in the Bollywood.
Despite Madhuri’s Ek Do Teen …. Dance, Sridevi ruled the Bollywood lik a queen by making films turn superhits by dint of her own perfomnce. She proved so in the films like Chalbaaz and Chandni.
Chaalbaaz went on to become a big commercial success and brought Sridevi her first Hindi language Filmfare Award for Best Actress.
The versatile actress relinquished the throne of Bollywood queen when age was not at her side, and new comers like Madhuri, Meenakshi Seshadri and Juhi Chawla filled into her shoes.
But none has attained the cult status of SRIDEVi, as she was the only female actress who made a film commercial success by dint of her sheer presence. For which, she earned the title of Lady Amitabh.
RASHMIKA MANDANNA
An oval face with deep set eyes carrying an infectious smile were enough to get the crown of gorgeous beauty to this sandalwood actress.
When her very first film Kirik Party became a commercial success, she earned the moniker of ‘Karnataka Crush’. And after Pushpa – The Rise, she went on to figure as the ‘National Crush’.
The leading female star from Sandalwood delivered hits in Telugu. She was known for her aesthetic performances in Kirik Party, Geetha Govindam, Dear Comrade, Pushpa – The Rise and the Industry hit Pushpa 2: The Rule.
The similarity Rashmika shares with Sridevi has been that her first Hindi film has been the telugu dubbed Pushpa – The Rise.
But unlike, Sridevi’s Solwan Savan getting bombed, Rashmika’s Pushpa rocked the box office.
Her charming role of Srivalli saw here making debut in Hindi Cinema
Rashmika made her Bollywood debut with Mission Majnu opposite Sidharth Malhotra. The actress then went on to have her second Hindi movie alongside Amitabh Bachchan, which is titled Goodbye.
The difference she showed vis-à-vis Sridevi has been that when Sridevi went to deliver fiery performances after Solwan Savan to deliver big hits that made her occupy the number one spot within 3 years, Rashmika starred at flops all over. Here is the List
- Pushpa 1 The Rise – SuperHit
- Sita Ramam – Flop
- Good Bye – Flop
- Mission Majnu – Flop
- Varisu – Flop
However, in the year 2023, came her much hyped movie Animal opposite Ranbir Kapoor. The film went to become an All Time Block Buster. And archlight grows brighter in Rashmika’s backyeard thereafter.
- Animal – All Time Blockbuster
- Pushpa 2 The Rule – Industry Hit
- Chhaava – Blockbuster.
RASHMIKA INTO SRIDEVI SHOES?
This gorgeous beauty from Sandal wood is having a wonder run at the Hindi box office now. After Chhaava, in March is coming the year’s most anticipated movie Sikandar alongside big superstar Salman Khan.
Many big films are lined up, but this Sandalwood actress is still aeons away from Sridevi.
She has the spontaneity. She has the magnetic presence on screen like Sridevi.
But Rashmika has to pass the test of the depth of versatility – the grace, action, comic and emotion shows of Sridevi. And like Sridevi, she has to deliver solo hits.
So, a wait for time seems the right choice here.
