"Cannot Stay Silent": Rashmika Mandanna Threatens Legal Action After Old Private Conversation About Breakup With Rakshit Shetty Goes Viral
Rashmika Mandanna is at the centre of a huge storm after an old private conversation, believed to be from eight years ago, resurfaced online.
Indian actress Rashmika Mandanna is at the centre of a huge storm after an old private conversation, believed to be from eight years ago, resurfaced online. The conversation in question is an audio clip attributed to Rashmika’s mother, Suman Mandanna. For the unversed, the recording is an excerpt of her interview with a news channel, where she spoke about Rashmika's engagement breaking up with Kannada actor-filmmaker Rakshit Shetty in 2018.
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On Thursday evening, Rashmika broke her silence on the matter, asking the clip be removed from social media and saying she will pursue legal action if it's not removed.
— Rashmika Mandanna (@iamRashmika) March 12, 2026
In the audio clip, Suman can be heard speaking about the tensions between Rashmika and Rakshit's families, including an alleged demand from the latter that Rashmika come out in the open and declare on social media that she would quit acting after getting married. The clip never made it to the public domain, but has surfaced days after Rashmika's wedding with Vijay Deverakonda. It is worth noting that the authenticity of the audio circulating now cannot be independently verified, and neither Rashmika Mandanna nor her mother has confirmed its content.
In a statement on social media, Rashmika wrote, "An old private conversation, believed to be from nearly eight years ago, appears to have been recorded and circulated without the knowledge or consent of those involved,” she wrote, adding, “A small portion of that conversation has now been deliberately taken out of context and circulated widely to create yet another discomforting controversy, strategically coinciding with recent developments in my personal life.”
“How far can people go? In doing so, they have dragged my family along with people I share cordial relationships with, who have absolutely nothing to do with this matter, into discomfort," she added.
She also said that the incident is not isolated and that things like this have happened in the past as well, and it's time she takes some action regarding the same.
"It has been 8 years since a sustained campaign of misinformation, harassment, and targeted attacks from a section of the media and individuals online had started against me. I have watched as my words have been taken out of context, as words I never uttered were spun into false narratives, and hate has been amplified for the sake of views, reach, and engagement,” she wrote.
“Today, while others are being drawn into this, I cannot stay silent any longer. I choose to draw a boundary," she added.
The 'Chhaava' actress gave the media platforms and individuals circulating the content 24 hours from the time of her statement to remove the content from social media. "Failing this, starting tomorrow, appropriate legal action will be initiated, including the issuance of legal notices to individuals, influencers, digital platforms, or media organisations involved in the continued circulation of defamatory or privacy-violating content, in accordance with applicable law," she wrote.
Ending her statement in Kannada, Rashmika said, "So many people have supported me with love until now. My heartfelt thanks to all of them. There is one thing I want to say at this time. People who deliberately talk about our private lives need to understand one thing. Can they decide how my life should be? Is our life not ours? We must make our own decisions, and we will."
For the unversed, Rashmika and Rakshit had first met in 2016 while working on the Kannada film 'Kirik Party'. The duo started dating soon after and eventually got engaged in 2017. However, the engagement was called off in 2018, with both saying at the time that the decision was mutual.
