For someone whose public image has long been associated with warmth, enthusiasm and an unusually expressive personality, Rashmika Mandanna has also had to deal with the flip side of being constantly visible. Gestures that one person may see as affection can easily become fodder for another person's social media commentary, and the actor has increasingly been vocal about refusing to let that noise dictate how she behaves.

The actor has now addressed the issue while promoting Ranabaali, making it clear that she has no plans to alter her personality because some people perceive her behaviour as “overacting”. “Personally, I feel that kindness is not weakness,” Rashmika said in an interview with Mythri Movie Makers.

She explained that she consciously chooses to respond with kindness because she feels there is already enough negativity around people. According to Rashmika, being called an overactor or being criticised for being excessively cheerful does not bother her because she knows that the behaviour is genuine. “Even if people call that overacting, it’s fine. Not everyone is everyone’s cup of tea,” she said, adding that she is happy to remain the way she is because she does not have to put on an act for anybody.

Rashmika further stressed that her public personality is not something she manufactures for an audience. She said she cannot “fake it to make someone happy” and that being herself keeps her, her family, friends and well-wishers happy.

Her recent comments also come after she addressed another recurring category of online criticism. In September, Rashmika spoke about being trolled over her accent and language while working across multiple film industries. She acknowledged that she may not necessarily be perfect in any one language, but said her career has required her to constantly adapt to different languages and roles.

Her husband and co-star Vijay Deverakonda has also defended the way she approaches people. During the same conversation in which Rashmika discussed the trolling, Vijay argued that a significant amount of social-media trolling surrounding actors and public figures can be manufactured. He questioned how people can form strong opinions about someone's personality without ever having met them and said such narratives can be deliberately created through multiple online accounts.

For Rashmika, however, the response appears to be less about winning an argument with trolls and more about refusing to participate in one. Her position is that not everybody has to like the way she behaves, but that does not give her a reason to stop being herself.

The actor is currently gearing up for Ranabaali, her first theatrical release with Vijay Deverakonda after their marriage. Directed by Rahul Sankrityan, the period drama is set against the backdrop of the 19th-century famine during British rule and is scheduled to release worldwide on October 16. The film marks the pair's reunion after Geetha Govindam and Dear Comrade.