Actors often speak about how a character stays with them long after a film’s shoot wraps up, but the impact is not always limited to their craft. Sometimes, the traits they recognise in a character also offer an opportunity to reflect on their own lives. For Rashmika Mandanna, her upcoming film Ranabaali appears to have prompted such a moment, with the actor drawing a parallel between herself and the character she plays.
The actor has spoken about how she prefers to keep certain personal gestures away from the public eye, believing that it is enough for her and her close circle to know about them. However, she has now chosen to speak about one such effort for a different reason: the possibility that sharing it might encourage others to help in whatever way they can.
Rashmika has announced that she has adopted 400 families, offering grocery support in three-month phases as part of an initiative she intends to continue over the next year. In a post on Instagram, the actor, who plays Jayamma in Ranabaali, said the decision was also a reflection of the similarities she sees between herself and her character. “If this could influence you lovelies out there to do anything like this, I would be happy,” she wrote, explaining why she had decided to make the effort public after previously keeping it private.
The initiative, named Project Annapurna, covers eight locations across South India: Hyderabad, Mahabubnagar, Anantapur, Bengaluru, Kochi, Chennai, Kodagu and Vijayawada. The grocery kits reportedly include rice, whole wheat flour, pulses, cooking oil, ragi, spices and tea. Rashmika said she hoped the support would help families save on everyday expenses and use the money towards planning for their future.
“There is something in the characters you play that influences you,” the actor wrote, responding to questions about whether Jayamma resembles her in real life. She added that helping others was not something she had begun for the film but a practice she had largely kept to herself. The decision to share it, she said, came from the hope that people who follow her might feel encouraged to begin with small acts of kindness themselves.
“Even a small act of kindness can change a person's life, and it doesn't have to be big. Let's all start with something small!” she added. Reflecting on the effort behind the initiative, Rashmika said seeing the families’ smiles made the struggles, injuries and sleepless nights she had experienced over the years feel worthwhile.
Directed by Rahul Sankrityan, Ranabaali stars Vijay Deverakonda in the titular role, with Rashmika playing Jayamma, his wife and companion. Set against the backdrop of the Great Madras Famine of 1876–78, the period drama also features Arnold Vosloo as the British antagonist Sir Theodore Hector. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on October 16, marking the third on-screen collaboration between Rashmika and Vijay after Geetha Govindam and Dear Comrade.
