Kannada superstar and director of 'Kantara' maintained that he wasn’t keen to act with Rashmika Mandanna. He was responding to a question as to who among the following actors (Rashmika Mandanna, Keethy Suresh, Sai Pallavi, and Samantha) he would like to act.
“I usually decide regarding the actors only after I finish a script. Because they won't have any other obstacles in front of them. From the actors you mentioned, I am not interested in this “particular” type of actor. I like Sai Pallavi and Samantha’s acting. They are real artists. They are the best from the current lot,” was what Rishabh Shetty said. He also commented on Samantha’s health and wished for her speedy recovery. “The audience loves her. Here’s hoping for her comeback,” he said.
Rashmika Mandanna made her acting debut in Rishabh Shetty’s ‘Kirik Party’ in 2016 which went on to become one of the highest-grossing films in Kannada that year. Rashmika later acted in Telugu and Tamil and became a huge star. Earlier the actor had spoken about her initial years in cinema. And she was criticized for not mentioning the first film or the people behind it.
The hero of ‘Kirik Party’ is Rakshit Shetty who is considered one of the closest friends of Rishabh Shetty. Soon after the film, Rashmika and Rakshit got engaged. But the couple decided to mutually break off their engagement after a few months. And Rashmika never acted in Kannada after ‘Kirik Party’. Perhaps this incident has something to do with Rishabh Shetty’s ire against Rashmika.