'Stop playing the damsel in distress': Rashmika Mandanna pens long note about playing Gitanjali in Animal, gets trolled

Rashmika Mandanna is currently riding high in the success of her latest release Animal. The actress played the role of Ranbir Kapoor’s wife Gitanjali and got raving reviews for her performance. She recently shared a long note describing her character on Instagram, however, a section of netizens trolled her for justifying her role that allegedly promoted violence against women.

The Pushpa actress wrote, “Gitanjali. If I were to describe her in a sentence …it would be the only force at home holding her family together. She is pure, real, unfiltered, strong and raw..At times as an actor, I would question some of Gitanjali’s actions.. And I remember my director telling me - this was their story..Ranvijay’s & Gitanjali’s.. it was their love and passion, their families and their lives - this is who they are…In a world full of all violence, hurt and unbearable pain - Gitanjali would bring peace trust and calm.. She would pray to her Gods to keep her husband and her kids safe.. She was the rock that weathered all the storms. She would do anything in her power for the sake of her family.”

She continued, “Gitanjali is absolutely beautiful in my eyes, and in some ways she is like most women who are standing strong and protecting their families day in and day out.Happy one week to us #Animal team.Guys.Thank you all for all the love.. it’s what keeps me going and makes me work harder with every film. Big hugs to you all too.”

Quickly after, a netizen reacted by saying, “When there is a negative review on the film mostly about the violence against women, here I come with the long post to justify my character, that we should get used to violence so that the family will be safe and good 😂 you have reached heights so now it's not about big shot movies it's about the character and the message that reaches the audience. Both Pushpa and Animal the women character has been neglecting and sacrificing point, since you have a huge fan base why don't you give them a women centric film with a good reflection of women in the society, either just being a part of big films with a sacrificing women roles.” Another one commented, “please stop playing the damsel in distress. we expect better roles from you. just loved you in Geetha Govindam.” “Atleast by now you should have realised that the character you played was toxic instead of justification. Shame on womenhood,” said another user.

Meanwhile, Animal has been making waves at the box office despite criticism. The film also stars Bobby Deol, Anil Kapoor, and Triptii Dimri. The film was released on December 1, 2023 worldwide and amassed Rs 361 crore in India and inched close to collecting Rs 600 crore globally.