Hyderabad: Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna-starrer ‘Ranabaali’ hit theatres on October 16 and received mixed reviews.
Despite the varied reactions, the film’s team held a press conference in Hyderabad on Friday evening to discuss the response to the film.
During the event, Rashmika spoke about Vijay’s performance, drawing parallels with Allu Arjun’s portrayal in Sukumar’s Pushpa 2: The Rule.
Speaking about Vijay’s transformation for ‘Ranabaali’, Rashmika said, “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 further explained how Vijay’s performance left an impression on her, adding, “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.”
Rashmika said Vijay’s commitment to the role reminded her of Allu Arjun’s transformation into Pushpa Raj in ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’.
Referring to the actors by their nicknames, she said, “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.”
The actress also reflected on how Vijay’s performance in ‘Ranabaali’ stood apart from their previous on-screen collaborations, Geetha Govindam and Dear Comrade.
She said, “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.”
When asked in Telugu how she felt about Vijay’s success with ‘Ranabaali’, Rashmika emphasised the bond they share as a married couple.
“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 said.
Reflecting on their relationship ahead of their February wedding in Udaipur, she added, “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.”
‘Ranabaali’ also features Arnold Vosloo as the primary antagonist.
According to trade website Sacnilk, the film earned ₹9.25 crore net in India and recorded a worldwide gross of ₹16.15 crore on its opening day.