Amid Deepika Padukone Row, Rashmika Mandanna Reveals She Cries For Her Off Days: I Haven’t Gone Home In One And A Half Years

Rashmika Mandanna opens up about sacrificing family time for career success, missing her sister’s milestones and craving off days. She also supports Deepika Padukone’s call for 8-hour shifts, exposing harsh work conditions in the film industry.

Published by Ashish Kumar Singh
Published: July 7, 2025 00:12:10 IST

Rashmika Mandanna has spent eight years in the Telugu film industry, but what is the price of that success? It’s steep. She opened up about it in a recent interview, revealing how she barely had a chance to watch her little sister grow up. Shiman, her sister, is sixteen years younger.

She’s around thirteen now, and Rashmika admitted she missed out on all the milestones, barely noticing when her sister shot up to almost her own height. While speaking about her busy schedules, Rashmika also weighed in on the ongoing debate on Deepika Padukone demanding an 8-hour shift after becoming a mother.

Rashmika Mandanna: I cry for my off days

In her interview, Rashmika didn’t sugarcoat it. “I cry for my off days,” she said. She’s been on the move for so long, she barely set foot at home in a year and a half. Friends? She doesn’t see them much. They used to invite her out, but now? They don’t even bother, and she’s painfully aware of it. That’s just how it is—work eats up everything else.

Her mother always warned her: you can’t have it all. Choose work, and your personal life takes the hit. Want a personal life? Something’s got to give at work. But Rashmika pushes back at that, even if it’s an endless struggle: she insists she’ll work twice as hard to make both sides fit, even if it feels impossible most days.

A post shared by Rashmika Mandanna (@rashmika_mandanna)

Rashmika Mandanna weighs in on Deepika Padukone’s row

The conversation about actors’ brutal work schedules has been buzzing lately, especially after Deepika Padukone reportedly walked out of Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s film Spirit. The chatter is everywhere—actors, directors, fans, all weighing in on what’s fair. Rashmika, who worked with Vanga on Animal, has her take.

In an interview with Mojo Story, she admitted there are serious issues in the industry. “People have every right to set boundaries with directors,” she said. “It’s fair to say, ‘This is the timeframe I want; can we do this?'”

But she didn’t stop there. She pointed out the darker side—actors slogging through two or three days straight without going home, sometimes not even grabbing a quick nap between shoots. It’s rough. And honestly, that’s the reality most people don’t see.

As for Spirit, Deepika’s reasons for leaving came down to creative disagreements and her push for an eight-hour workday, profit sharing, and fair pay. She’s out, Triptii Dimri is in. But the bigger conversation about burnout and boundaries? That’s still raging on.

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