With US rapper Snoop Dogg recently sharing a viral video of a little girl grooving to the song Saami Saami (Pushpa: The Rise; 2021), it is clear that actor Rashmika Mandanna is reaching new heights of fame. But she admits she doesn’t take this adoration for granted and sticks to her humble roots. The actor recalls the time when her parents “were not so well off” and found it hard to “even buy me a toy”. Mandanna expresses, “In my heart, I am still that girl who could not even buy a toy.”

The Goodbye actor says, “I don’t take this (love and popularity) for granted, as I have been on the other side. There was a time when we would move homes every two months. I have been conscious of these things (struggles) ever since I was a child.”

While the 26-year-old feels that it is not right of her to talk about her parents’ journey, she says, “I am taking the liberty of recalling how they used to find it hard to search for a place for us to live in and pay those rents.” Mandanna has those memories etched in her heart and remembers how, when she would like a toy, her parents would never say they couldn’t buy it for her, but she knew. “So, I would not ask for it,” the actor tells us.

Talking about how grateful she feels for all the love she gets, the actor adds, “Today, I am at a place where I can feed so many people and bring happiness into their lives.”

It has been quite a journey for Mandanna, but she has not forgotten where she comes from. “I respect the money I earn, the love I receive and the acknowledgement that I get as an actor,” she says, adding, “My childhood memories don’t let me take my success lightly, because I know this will not last forever.”