Rashmika Mandanna lashes out at haters, defending Vijay Deverakonda: 'I'd propose to him 1,000 times'

Dubai: Rashmika Mandanna has addressed criticism surrounding an interview involving her and “Vijju”, saying the online reaction has begun to feel like an “angry mob looking for someone to vent at”.

In a lengthy 9-page statement posted on Instagram, the actor said she usually avoids responding to opinions about her, but felt compelled to speak out over the way the conversation was being interpreted.

“My lovely people of the internet,” she began, before addressing both supporters and critics: “To all those who deeply love and to those who are permanently bitter.”

Introducing the statement as “My lil’ 2 cents on this whole issue concerning me and Vijju”, Mandanna said she was open to different perspectives. However, she drew a distinction between expressing an opinion and the reaction she felt the interview had attracted.

“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.”

Mandanna also suggested that the discussion had moved away from what she had intended to convey.

“Somewhere along the way, the whole point got lost. Maybe it didn’t fit your lens. Maybe some of you simply don’t want to see it.”

The slide shared here does not identify the specific interview or detail the remarks that prompted the criticism. Her response focuses instead on the tone of the reaction and her belief that the original message has been overlooked.

She closed the slide by explaining why she had chosen to address the issue publicly.

“I’m writing this because I want to protect the people who believe in love, and I hope everyone gets to find their own version of it.”

She expressed her bewilderment at the opinions and comments that have come their way, since the interview aired.

"Yes that conversation happened. But neither of us was looking for a grand proposal. The conversation was about him wanting both ofu s 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," said Rashmika.

She claimed she is all heart and is impulsive, while he's relatively more pragmatic.

"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 also expressed her confusion over why everyone was getting agitated over her 'obsession' with the man she loves deeply.

"I would do it a thousand times, 100 is nothing. It's really that simple," she said alluding to the controversial segment of the interview where she proudly said that Vijay had asked her to ask him to marry her 100 times before taking the plunge.

She also claimed she was in the happiest phase of her life right now.

"And the fact that some people would rather believe random narratives, misleading edits, and absolute lies created on the internet than believe what I say about my own life is honestly a little creepy."

In the next page, she utters lines that resembled the dialogue from her blockbuster 'Animal', in which she defends her on-screen husband Ranbir Kapoor's character to her on-screen parents. In a similar fashion, she declares: 'When I snap a bone, you aren't there. He is. When my stomach hurts every month, you aren't there. He is..."

She ends her bit with a video of her riding piggy back on Vijay, her actor-husband.