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    EYE ON BOLLYWOOD                                                    OCTOBER 31, 2025       |  The Indian Eye 38

                Rashmika Mandanna: The Reigning Queen of 2025

                       and Bollywood’s New Box-Office Powerhouse

              With three blockbuster Hindi releases in a single year, Rashmika Mandanna has shattered industry norms,
                  proving she’s not just India’s “National Crush” but also one of its most bankable and versatile stars

            OUR BUREAU                                                                                                With an opening of Rs 24 crore,
                                                                                                                  Thamma became her third consec-
            Mumbai / Bengaluru
                                                                                                                  utive box-office success in less than
                n the ever-evolving world of Indi-                                                                10 months. Rashmika’s comic tim-
               an cinema, few stories have been                                                                   ing and infectious energy in the film
            Ias compelling—or as meteoric—                                                                        added levity to the eerie narrative,
            as Rashmika Mandanna’s in 2025.                                                                       earning her praise from both critics
            Once known primarily for her charm                                                                    and audiences. Her ability to carry a
            and effervescent screen presence,                                                                     supernatural comedy with the same
            the actor has now transformed into                                                                    confidence as a historical drama or
            a formidable performer and box-of-                                                                    an  action  film  underlined  her  re-
            fice magnet. With Chhaava, Sikandar,                                                                  markable range.
            and  Thamma—three  back-to-back                                                                           What sets Rashmika apart is her
            Hindi releases that each opened                                                                       ability to connect across demograph-
            among  the  year’s  top  five  biggest                                                                ics. To the youth, she’s the face of as-
            films—Rashmika has achieved what                                                                      piration and relatability—frequently
            even the most seasoned stars rarely                                                                   dubbed “The National Crush” for
            manage: consistency, versatility, and                                                                 her natural charm and social media
            mass appeal across genres.                                                                            presence.  To  filmmakers,  she  rep-
                It’s been a year of milestones for                                                                resents a new generation of actors
            the 29-year-old star, who has steadily                                                                unafraid of experimentation.
            expanded her presence from south-                                                                         Trade analysts note that she has
            ern cinema into Bollywood’s main-                                                                     become a “reliable opening factor,”
            stream. In 2025 alone, Rashmika has                                                                   especially in the post-pandemic era
            been part of Chhaava (Rs 31 crore                                                                     where audience loyalty is fickle. Her
            opening), Sikandar (Rs 26 crore),                                                                     box-office consistency across genres
            and Thamma (Rs 24 crore)—three                                                                        and   industries—spanning  Tamil,
            of  the  top  five  Hindi  film  openers                                                              Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi—po-
            of the year, alongside War 2 and                                                                      sitions  her  among  the  few  genuine
            Housefull 5. Her success has not only                                                                 pan-India female stars.
            reshaped her career trajectory but
            also redefined what it means to be a                                                                        BEYOND STARDOM
            truly pan-Indian star.                                                                                    As she stands on the cusp of
                From period drama to action                                                                       superstardom, Rashmika shows no
            thriller to horror comedy,  Rashmi-    Rashmika Mandanna at the album launch of her movie ‘Chhaava’ (ANI File Photo)  signs of slowing down. She will next
            ka’s  performances this year  have                                                                    be seen in Pushpa: The Rule, the
            underscored her  adaptability. She’s   and went on to collect a staggering   erwise testosterone-driven narrative.  highly anticipated sequel to the 2021
            seamlessly moved between charac-  Rs 807.91 crore worldwide, making     The  film’s  Rs  26  crore  open-  blockbuster, alongside Allu Arjun.
            ters—portraying  historical  figures,  it the highest-grossing Hindi film of   ing cemented Rashmika’s growing   She’s also reportedly in talks for a
            emotionally grounded heroines, and   the year and the eighth-highest of all   box-office   credibility.   Although   major international streaming proj-
            even quirky comic leads—with an   time. Critics praised her for ground-  Sikandar’s lifetime collection (Rs   ect and a biopic that could further
            assurance that belies her years in the   ing the grand narrative with subtlety   184.6 crore globally) was moderate   showcase her dramatic potential.
            industry.                         and sincerity—qualities that helped   compared to Chhaava, critics not-  For an actor who entered the in-
                Released on Valentine’s Day,  her transcend the “commercial her-  ed that Rashmika’s performance   dustry less than a decade ago, Rash-
            Chhaava  was  Rashmika’s  first  ma-  oine” label.                  “humanized  the  film,”  proving  her   mika Mandanna’s 2025 is not just a
            jor Bollywood release of 2025—and     Barely a month after Chhaa-   strength lay not just in glamour but   golden year—it’s a statement. She’s
            arguably her most ambitious project   va, Rashmika returned with Sikan-  in emotional intelligence.   not  merely  the “National  Crush”
            yet. Directed by Laxman Utekar and   dar, an Eid release directed by A.R.   Rounding off her extraordinary   anymore. She’s a national phenom-
            produced by Dinesh  Vijan’s  Mad-  Murugadoss and headlined by Sal-  year was Thamma, released this Di-  enon, commanding audiences, critics,
            dock Films, the Maratha-era histor-  man Khan. A gritty action-drama   wali as part of Maddock Films’ ex-  and the box office alike.
            ical epic starred Vicky Kaushal as   with themes of redemption and sac-  panding horror-comedy universe.   In a year dominated by sequels
            Sambhaji, the valiant son of Chha-  rifice, the film demanded emotional   Directed by Aditya Sarpotdar, the   and franchises, Rashmika has re-
            trapati Shivaji Maharaj. Rashmika’s   nuance—a challenge Rashmika met   film  starred  Ayushmann  Khurrana,  minded Bollywood that freshness
            performance, though understated,  head-on. Playing the role of an em-  Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Paresh Rawal,  and fearlessness still sell—and that
            brought emotional balance to a film   pathetic anchor to Khan’s brooding   and Rashmika in a wild, genre-bend-  true stardom, like hers, is built not
            brimming with power and patriotism.  protagonist,  she  delivered  a  perfor-  ing tale involving folklore, journal-  just on beauty, but on bold choices
                The film opened to Rs 31 crore   mance  that  added  depth  to  an  oth-  ism, and vampirism.     and boundless versatility.

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