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Dubai: Actress Rashmika Mandanna has threatened legal action after an alleged audio clip involving her mother began circulating widely on social media, reviving discussion around her past relationship with Rakshit Shetty.
According to reports, the audio surfaced just weeks after Rashmika married Vijay Deverakonda on February 26, prompting the actor to issue a strongly worded statement urging people to stop sharing the clip on her Instagram.
According to a report on NDTV, the recording is believed to be from an interview Rashmika’s mother, Suman Mandanna, gave to a Kannada news channel nearly eight years ago. In the clip, she is heard speaking about tensions that allegedly arose between the families during Rashmika’s engagement to Shetty.
Rashmika and Shetty first met on the sets of the 2016 Kannada hit Kirik Party. The pair got engaged in 2017 but called off the engagement a year later, stating that they had mutually decided to part ways.
Old interview resurfaces
According to reports, the resurfaced audio comes from a past interview with a Kannada journalist where Suman Mandanna discussed disagreements between the two families during that period.
In the interview, she claimed there were arguments and misunderstandings surrounding Rashmika’s career choices. One allegation mentioned in the clip suggests that Rashmika was asked to publicly announce that she would step away from acting after marriage.
The recording also references tensions around the release of Geetha Govindam, the film that later became one of Rashmika’s biggest early successes.
Parts of the conversation are emotional, with Suman Mandanna recalling disagreements and saying she was asked to apologise during a dispute between the families.
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Rashmika responds
Responding to the renewed circulation of the clip, Rashmika shared a lengthy statement addressing what she described as years of misinformation and harassment.
“To my dearest people who have been with me through this incredible journey so far… it has been eight years since a sustained campaign of misinformation, harassment and targeted attacks from a section of the media and individuals online had started against me,” she wrote.
The actor said she had long chosen to stay silent despite criticism.
“I watched as my words were taken out of context and as things I never said were spun into false narratives,” she wrote, adding that she had tried to remain patient despite the hurt it caused.
However, Rashmika said the resurfacing of the clip crossed a line.
“What has happened in the last 24 hours crosses a line that cannot be ignored,” she said.
According to the actor, the audio being circulated online is believed to be part of a ‘private conversation from nearly eight years ago’ that was shared without the knowledge or consent of those involved.
“A small portion of that conversation has been deliberately taken out of context and circulated widely to create yet another discomforting controversy,” she wrote, suggesting that it appeared to coincide with recent developments in her personal life.
‘This is an invasion of privacy’
Rashmika also expressed concern that the controversy was drawing others into the issue.
“In doing so, they have dragged my family along with people I share cordial relationships with — people who have absolutely nothing to do with this matter — into discomfort,” she said.
Calling the circulation of the audio a “serious invasion of privacy”, the actor said she felt compelled to respond after remaining silent for years.
“For eight years, while the attacks were restricted to me, I chose silence. Today, when others are being pulled into this, I cannot stay silent any longer. I choose to draw a boundary,” she said.
Legal warning issued
Rashmika also issued a warning to individuals and media platforms continuing to share the clip.
“I request all media platforms, influencers and individuals who are circulating this content to remove it immediately,” she wrote, adding that they had 24 hours to comply.
Failing that, she said legal notices would be sent.
“Appropriate legal action will be initiated, including legal notices to individuals, influencers, digital platforms or media organisations involved in the continued circulation of defamatory or privacy-violating content,” she stated.
