'He’s a one-man show': Rashmika compares Vijay to Allu Arjun

Rashmika Mandanna compares Vijay Deverakonda.

Rashmika Mandanna has praised Vijay Deverakonda's performance in 'Ranabaali', saying his transformation reminded her of Allu Arjun in 'Pushpa 2: The Rule'. She explained that Vijay appeared to become a different person while playing the titular character.

The actor also said his performance in the period drama affected her differently from their previous films together.Directed by Rahul Sankrityan, 'Ranabaali' was released in theaters on October 16, 2026, and received mixed reviews. The film's team met the media at a press conference in Hyderabad on Friday evening. During the interaction, Rashmika spoke about Vijay's performance and how she viewed his success following their wedding in Udaipur in February.

Rashmika Mandanna says their success belongs to both

Rashmika said she no longer viewed their achievements as separate. As quoted by Hindustan Times, she described, “Bhartha (husband)...We share the same pain, we share the same happiness, we share the same joy, we share the same experiences, we are one person now. So, there’s no difference between how does his success feel to me or how does my success feel to him.”She added that they had stopped seeing themselves as individuals long before their wedding.

Rashmika also expressed hope that 'Ranabaali' would become a major commercial success, along with the films they take up in the future.“I think it’s been a while since we’ve stopped seeing each other as individual people. Now we’re one person, so for the rest of my life, and for the rest of his life, I feel like all our success is gonna be the same. So, I genuinely hope this becomes a huge blockbuster, as do all the films we do; I’ll be happy.”Rashmika said Vijay's portrayal of Ranabaali created a clear distinction between his on-screen identity and his personality off camera. Even while speaking to him between shots, she felt the character's presence.“When I was seeing Ranabaali be Ranabaali, there’s a full difference between Vijay and Ranabaali. Completely. Even on set, when I would speak to him off shooting, there’s one sense of Ranabaali. I’m like, where is Viju? You know?”She explained that it took time to understand the intensity of his performance.

According to Rashmika, certain roles can completely consume an actor, making every emotion part of the performance.“It took me time, but I understood with what gravitas he’s performing, at what level he’s performing it. When you do some characters, they just consume you fully. Every cell of you feels those emotions, that performance. So, I watched all that. This was a very new experience for me.”

Allu Arjun's 'Pushpa 2: The Rule' comparison

Rashmika said Vijay's transformation brought back memories of watching Allu Arjun embody Pushpa in 'Pushpa 2: The Rule'.

She referred to the actor as Bunny sir while describing the difference between his real-life persona and the character he played.“Of course, there was a similar experience in Pushpa 2 when Bunny sir was doing that. Bunny sir as Bunny sir and Bunny sir as Pushpa were two different people.”“Like that, when I saw Viju…I’ve seen him personally at home. When I saw him on set, it was just different. The actors who perform know the feeling.

But genuinely speaking, we did Geetha Govindam and Dear Comrade, I feel like Ranabaali and Jayamma touched me. It felt different this time. For me, with the overall film, I have to say it’s him. He’s a one-man show.”

'Ranabaali' box office collection day 2

Meanwhile, 'Ranabaali' recorded a decline in domestic box office collections on its second day. According to Sacnilk, the film earned Rs 7.30 cr in India net collections on Saturday, October 17, down 21.1% from its opening-day earnings of Rs 9.25 cr.

The film's cumulative India net collection reached Rs 16.55 cr, while its domestic gross stood at Rs 19.25 cr.Overseas markets contributed Rs 2 cr on Saturday, taking the total overseas gross to Rs 7.40 cr. Its worldwide gross collection reached Rs 26.65 cr after two days. The film played across 2,292 shows on Saturday, compared with 2,515 shows on Friday.