In the past three years, three of the highest-grossing Hindi films have little in common. One is a dark revenge story, another is a dubbed pan-India action movie, and the latest is a historical drama. Despite their varied themes, time periods, and genres, all these films share one common factor: the leading lady, Rashmika Mandanna. She has starred in Animal, Pushpa 2: The Rule, and Chhaava, all of which have taken the box office by storm.
In just 16 months, Rashmika has had three major theatrical releases, all of which have become massive hits. Together, these films have earned more than ₹3300 crore at the box office, with Chhaava still adding to its ₹700 crore total. Even more impressive is Rashmika’s success in the Hindi market, despite her background in Kannada and Telugu films. All three movies—Animal, Pushpa 2, and Chhaava—have broken box office records in Hindi. Pushpa 2 earned ₹812 crore in net collections in Hindi, Animal made ₹503 crore, and Chhaava has already grossed ₹532 crore. This brings her total Hindi collection to ₹1850 crore, making her the highest-grossing Bollywood actress in recent times.
For years, Deepika Padukone was the undisputed box office queen of Bollywood after Priyanka Chopra moved to the US, with some competition from Katrina Kaif and Kangana Ranaut. In the new generation, Alia Bhatt has risen to the top. However, none of these stars have matched Rashmika’s box office pace over the last two years. Deepika has come close, with her five films earning over ₹1800 crore in Hindi since 2023, while Alia’s films have earned just ₹300 crore in India during the same period.
