The year 2026 has been remarkably significant for actress Rashmika Mandanna. In February, she married her longtime partner and Dear Comrade co-star Vijay Deverakonda in a lavish ceremony in Udaipur, with photos from the event still capturing hearts online. In March, Rashmika's performance in Rahul Ravindran's film The Girlfriend (2025) earned her the Best Actress Award at the Telangana Gaddar Film Awards. She attended the award ceremony yesterday with Vijay Deverakonda's mother, her mother-in-law Madhavi Deverakonda, after celebrating Ugadi puja for the first time as a married woman.
During the award ceremony, Rashmika Mandanna took the stage to accept her Best Actress award, delivering an emotional speech that made her mother-in-law, Madhavi Deverakonda, proud and emotional. The actress expressed, 'There was a time when my performance was criticized, but now I've been honored with an award from the state for my work. I feel I've made significant progress. Receiving this award for a film like The Girlfriend is incredibly special and encourages us to create more films like it.' Rashmika further mentioned, 'This is my first festival as a married woman, and I completed my pooja before attending the award ceremony. It was a beautiful experience, and I feel content.'
During the program, the host highlighted that besides her first Ugadi, this marks Rashmika's initial triumph since marrying Vijay. In response, Rashmika said, “Even before I became a daughter-in-law, you cherished me like a daughter. Now, I officially stand before you as a daughter-in-law. I am immensely proud and eternally grateful for your affection. My only hope now is for everyone to extend that love to my family as well.” Addressing her mother-in-law, who was enthusiastically supporting her in the audience, Rashmika added, “Papalu, I did it. Let's head home and celebrate.”
In 2018, long before Vijay and Rashmika tied the knot, Madhavi was questioned about her ideal daughter-in-law during the success event of Geetha Govindam (2018). Vijay's mother expressed, 'I just want a daughter-in-law who will take good care of my son. She should love him unconditionally, that's all. Given his career in the industry, she should be understanding.' It seems her wish came true.