Key Highlights

  • The initiative: Rashmika Mandanna has adopted 400 families, supporting their grocery needs for three months.
  • For a year: She plans to repeat this with 400 families at a time over the next year.
  • The reason: To help families save on groceries and plan their futures.
  • The inspiration: Her character Jayamma in Ranabaali, who she says shares this quality with her.
  • The film: A period drama set during the Madras famine of 1876–78, with Vijay Deverakonda.

Actress Rashmika Mandanna has announced a year-long initiative to support families in need. She has adopted 400 families, covering their grocery needs for three months, and plans to continue supporting 400 families at a time over the next year.

“I’ve adopted 400 families today.. and I want to just help 400 families at a time for 3 months each and continue this for the next one year and hope that they can save that money of groceries and use it to save and plan their futures better,” she wrote on Instagram.

Why She Went Public

Rashmika said she had always done such work quietly. “I always kept it under the wraps cz I thought if I knew and just my team knew and just a bunch of us knew.. it was enough.. but now I am opening up about this because I am thinking.. if this could influence you lovelies out there to do anything like this.. I would be happy.”

“Even a small act of kindness can change a person’s life and it doesn’t have to be big.. let’s all start with something small!!” she added.

“This Is Also Her”

The actress linked the initiative to Jayamma, her character in the upcoming film Ranabaali. “There is something in the characters you play that influence you.. A lot of you keep asking are there any similarities between Jayamma and me and my answer is yes - and this is one of them.. this has always been me and this is also her,” she wrote.

Why It Matters: A Story of Hunger, On Screen and Off

The connection runs deeper than a character trait. Ranabaali is set during the Madras famine of 1876–78, one of the deadliest famines of British rule, when millions died of hunger. Rashmika’s decision to help families with something as basic as groceries echoes the very struggle at the heart of the film.

At a time of rising food prices, support for monthly groceries can make a meaningful difference to household budgets. If continued through the year as planned, her initiative could reach up to 1,600 families.

About Ranabaali

Directed by Rahul Sankrityan, Ranabaali is a period action drama. Vijay Deverakonda plays Ranabaali, a warrior who fights British rule, while Rashmika plays his wife and companion, Jayamma. The two, who married in February 2026, share the screen as husband and wife in the film.

The Bottom Line

For Rashmika Mandanna, Jayamma’s spirit isn’t limited to the screen. With 400 families at a time, she hopes a small act of kindness can inspire many more.

With inputs from IANS.