PremiumSikandar star Salman Khan’s all praise for Rashmika Mandanna: Nobody reaches any stage without…
At one point during the making of Sikandar, Rashmika Mandanna was shuttling between the set and that of Pushpa 2, often, without much rest
Last Updated: 04.57 PM, Mar 29, 2025
As an actress with absolutely no filmi background, Rashmika Mandanna has come a long way since her debut in Kannada cinema with 2016’s Kirik Party . She has, since, worked with the biggest stars in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi cinema too, a trajectory that surprised even her Sikandar co-star Salman Khan. During a promotional interview with India Today for the AR Murugadoss directorial, which releases in theatres on March 30, 2025, Salman asked Rashmika about her family background.
“How come you made it so big?” he wondered, when she told him that her father was in hotel management and her mother a homemaker. “Is it luck, is it destiny, is it hard work, right time right place?” he further asked, to which she said it had to be destiny, given that films were not on her agenda until not too long ago.
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Salman Khan praises Rashmika Mandanna's discipline with work
When Rashmika then told him that when she got the offer to be a part of Sikandar, it got her wondering how she got to that point that she would be considered for a role opposite Salman, he was quick to tell her just why. “With a lot of discipline, Rashmika; with a lot of hard work. Nobody reaches any stage without that kind of effort that you put into your career,” said Salman.
The Bollywood superstar added that he saw her work ethic, shuttling between the sets of Pushpa 2 and Sikandar. “She was shooting for a song and the climax of Pushpa2 at the time that we were also doing a song shoot. She would shoot with us at night and during the day with team Pushpa 2. In the 12 days we were there, she must have shot 24 hours round-the-clock,” he said, adding that she was sleep-deprived and unwell at the time.
Also read: Rashmika Mandanna's unmissable blockbuster movies to watch on OTT: Geetha Govindam to Pushpa
What helped the actress through those chaotic days was the care that Salman showered her with, checking on her, for instance, and asking if she’d eaten, or if he needed to get her something. Things, that she says, she did not expect, but left an impression. “Basically, she’s saying I’m her nicest co-star,” he joked.