Bollywood actress and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut has spoken out in support of Rashmika Mandanna against Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar over alleged threats directed at the actress.
During her visit to a temple in Kapu, Kangana addressed the controversy and defended Rashmika amid allegations from Karnataka Congress politicians.
"If someone tries to tighten the screws on us, God will save us. God is always standing with all artists," she said.
Rashmika Mandanna has been caught in a storm after allegations surfaced that she refused to attend the Bengaluru International Film Festival and disregarded the Kannada language.
The issue gained traction after Karnataka Congress MLA Ravi Ganiga accused the actress of repeatedly declining invitations to the festival.
Ganiga alleged: "Rashmika Mandanna, who started her career with the Kannada movie 'Kirik Party,' refused to attend the film festival last year. 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?"
Amid the backlash, a source close to Rashmika came forward to refute these claims. According to News 24, the source stated: "Reports claiming that Rashmika refused to attend the Bengaluru Film Festival and made derogatory remarks about it and the state are completely false and lack any truth."
The source added: "The statements attributed to Rashmika, as well as claims of someone approaching her multiple times, are incorrect. This clarification aims to set the record straight and dispel false narratives."
However, Ravi Ganiga insisted that Rashmika had indeed declined the invitation and claimed to have proof.
"It is not Rashmika’s statement, but her team’s statement. We will publicly release documents proving that she was invited to the festival but refused," he said.
The controversy follows Deputy CM DK Shivakumar’s public disappointment over the low turnout of the Kannada film industry at the festival’s inauguration on March 1. As of now, Rashmika Mandanna has not personally responded to the allegations.