Actress Rashmika Mandanna has announced an initiative to support 400 families for three months at a time, saying the compassion of her character Jayamma in the upcoming period drama Ranabaali reflects a quality she has carried into her own life. The actress said she hopes to continue the effort over the next year, helping families reduce their grocery expenses and use the savings to plan for their futures.
The announcement comes ahead of the October 16 worldwide theatrical release of Ranabaali, directed by Rahul Sankrityan and starring Vijay Deverakonda in the title role. Mandanna plays Jayamma, the wife and companion of the central character in a period action drama set against the backdrop of British rule and the Madras famine of 1876–78.
Mandanna said she had previously kept her charitable efforts private, believing that it was enough for her and a small circle of people to know about them. She decided to speak publicly about the initiative because she believes her actions could encourage fans to undertake similar efforts in their own communities.
The announcement offers a glimpse into how the actress connects her screen roles with her personal values. Rather than presenting the initiative solely as a response to her latest film, Mandanna described helping others as something she had already been doing and intended to continue.
Rashmika Says Jayamma Reflects Her Real-Life Personality
In a social media post, Mandanna addressed questions from fans about the similarities between herself and Jayamma, the character she portrays in 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.
The actress explained that she had generally kept her charitable work under wraps because she felt there was no need to publicise it. She said she was now sharing the initiative in the hope that it would motivate others to contribute to society, even through small acts of kindness.
“I would always keep doing things like this for all the love that you give me.. but 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,” Mandanna wrote.
Explaining why she had decided to make the effort public, she added: “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.”
Her announcement links the character’s compassion with the actress’s stated desire to use her public platform to encourage practical assistance for people facing financial pressures.
400 Families to Receive Support as Initiative Continues Over a Year
Mandanna said she had begun the initiative by adopting 400 families, with the plan to support 400 families at a time for three months each and continue the effort over the following year.
“So hence I thought why not start now.. with this! 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.
The stated objective is to help participating families save money they would otherwise spend on groceries and redirect those savings towards longer-term needs and financial planning. However, the announcement did not specify the locations of the families, the monetary value of the assistance, the selection criteria or the organisation responsible for administering the programme.
Those details will be important in assessing the initiative’s overall reach and the amount of financial relief it provides. The announcement also did not establish how many distinct families would benefit across the full year, beyond the stated plan to support groups of 400 families for three-month periods.
Mandanna emphasised that charitable efforts need not be large to make a difference in people’s lives. Encouraging her followers to begin with manageable contributions, she said the happiness generated by helping others had made the effort worthwhile despite the demands of her career.
“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 wrote.
She also reflected on the professional challenges she had experienced over the years, including injuries, struggles, pain and sleepless nights, saying the smiles associated with the initiative made those difficulties feel worthwhile.
“this is priceless!!” she added.
The announcement is likely to resonate with fans who follow Mandanna’s work as well as her public activities beyond cinema. For audiences, the initiative also draws attention to a broader question of how public figures can translate their visibility into practical support for families facing everyday expenses.
‘Ranabaali’ Connects Jayamma to a Period of Colonial-Era Crisis
Mandanna’s announcement comes just ahead of Ranabaali’s scheduled worldwide release on October 16. Directed by Rahul Sankrityan, the period action drama stars Vijay Deverakonda as Ranabaali, a warrior who fights against British rule, with Mandanna portraying Jayamma as his wife and companion.
The film is set against the backdrop of the Madras famine of 1876–78, a devastating period in colonial Indian history. The setting gives the story a historical context shaped by hardship and the struggle for survival, although the precise relationship between the famine and the film’s central plot will depend on the narrative presented on screen.
Mandanna’s comments suggest that she sees Jayamma as a character whose values extend beyond the requirements of the screenplay. By describing compassion and helping others as similarities between the character and herself, she has framed the role as personally meaningful ahead of the film’s release.
The actress’s initiative and the film’s historical setting are separate matters, but both place questions of hardship, empathy and support for vulnerable people in the public conversation surrounding the release.
For now, Mandanna has announced a plan to assist 400 families at a time for three months, with the intention of continuing the effort over the next year. The full scale of the programme will become clearer when further details about its implementation and the families receiving support are made available.