26 October,2026 03:13 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Rashmika Mandanna and Vijay Deverakonda. Pic via Instagram
Rashmika Mandanna and Vijay Deverakonda stirred up a debate on social media regarding their relationship and equation following their appearance on Koffee with Karan 9. The actress has now addressed the online chatter surrounding her relationship, calling out those who trolled and offered unsolicited advice.
Rashmika shared a long note on social media addressing the issue and opened up about her understanding of love, the couple's decision to choose each other, and why she refuses to let public opinion define their relationship.
Calling out the negativity, she wrote, "My lovely people of the internet, To all those who deeply love, and to those who are permanently bitter. My lil' 2 cents on this whole issue concerning me and Vijju. I generally don't address these things because everyone has a right to their opinions. Sometimes, I even enjoy reading them and gaining a different perspective. But the current frenzy over our interview feels less like people having opinions and more like an angry mob looking for someone to vent at."
She further added, "We've been bombarded with opinions, comments and unsolicited advice on all our profiles, mine and yours, unnecessarily. The conviction with which people came at us genuinely shook me a little. I was like, WHAT THE FK IS GOING ON? So I took a step back, thought about it, and here's my lil' take on my own life."
Addressing the chatter surrounding their proposal story, where Vijay revealed he asked her to ask him a 100 times after which he would think about marrying her, she wrote, "First, it was never about the number of times or an entire year. That's where some of you got stuck. Yes, that conversation happened. But neither of us was looking for a grand proposal. The conversation was about him wanting both of us to take the time and space to understand each other, to be sure that despite all the highs and lows, the joys and stresses of life, this was what we wanted and the right time for it. And we did. We chose each other."
"It's okay that I knew exactly what I wanted. And it was equally okay that he wanted time to think all the practical things of life through and be sure. That didn't change our love in any way. I am all heart and he is the thinker- and we need that in each other's lives. For us, marriage was never about a proposal, getting down on one knee or putting a ring on a finger. That's the decorative part. For us, it was about building a life and a future together," she added.
In a strongly worded statement, Rashmika slammed the narratives, saying, "And for those who seem to be absolutely blinded by their own narratives. We have both built our lives on our own terms, with our own choices and our own hard work. We are smart, capable adults, blessed with the freedom and privilege to choose how we want to live and whom we want to share our lives with. And we chose US."
"If our love doesn't fit your imagination of what love should look like, that's okay, no? You go live that beautiful imagination in your own life. I'll be cheering for every happy person out there. That's the bare minimum we should all strive for. And to some of my sweet girls out there. The ones making reels in the guise of concern for a fellow woman, asking me to run, giving me free relationship advice to protect me. Thank you. Truly. But I wish some of you had been there a couple of years ago, when things were really, really hard. You weren't there," Rashmika said.
Calling the narratives creepy, she said, "And the fact that some people would rather believe random narratives, misleading edits and absolute lies created on the internet that believe what I say about my own life is honestly a little creepy."
"Bitch about me all you want. I can take it. But talking about my family without knowing them? That's not feminism. That's bullying dressed up as feminism. Feminism was never about putting someone else down or establishing superiority, whether you're a man or a woman. It was always about having the freedom to choose your own life and taking charge of it. I took charge of mine," Rashmika added.
Meanwhile, although Vijay has not directly addressed the controversy, he recently shared a satirical reel of two people analysing their relationship and the controversy on his Instagram story
