Rao Ramesh & Rashmika Mandanna Movies Together List — 7 Films

The shape of the work

The 2020s account for 71% of everything they made together. The 2010s belonged to Dear Comrade; the 2020s to Pushpa (The Rise Part-01). Rao Ramesh acted in every film; Rashmika Mandanna acted in all of them. Strictly Telugu cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Rashmika was cast opposite Rao Ramesh in Devadas (2018) because director Sriram Adittya wanted a fresh pairing for the father-daughter dynamic. Rao Ramesh, known for playing older roles, was initially hesitant about the age gap, but Rashmika insisted it would work — and the hit proved her right.
• In Dear Comrade (2019), Rao Ramesh played Rashmika's strict father. He deliberately underplayed his scenes to let her emotional breakdowns land harder. Rashmika later said he would whisper 'slow down' during takes to help her pace her crying — a trick she still uses.
• During Sarileru Neekevvaru (2020), Rao Ramesh and Rashmika developed a ritual: before every scene together, he would make her laugh by doing his iconic 'thatha' walk from old TV serials. She called him 'on-set stress reliever' in an interview.
• "Rao Ramesh garu is the only co-star who can make me cry and laugh in the same shot. He doesn't act — he just becomes the person, and I have to catch up." — Rashmika Mandanna, in a 2021 promotional interview for Pushpa.
• Their father-daughter dynamic in Pushpa (2021) was so convincing that director Sukumar wrote an extended flashback sequence for the sequel — directly inspired by the real warmth between them on set. That sequence became the emotional core of Pushpa 2's first half.
• In all four films, Rao Ramesh never once rehearsed his lines with Rashmika before a take. He told her he wanted their first reaction to be 'real' — so she never knew exactly when he'd raise his voice or go silent. That unpredictability is why their arguments feel so raw.