For 2026, the Indian film industry is abuzz with Rashmika Mandanna's makeover. From her "National Crush" start as the perfect little innocent “girl next door” to her latest incarnation in the horror-comedy Thama (late 2025), she’s had many characters since she wasn’t ready to crescendo her career trajectory. Her newest job is, it should be said, her most innovative opportunity to date with Cocktail 2 however.
Breaking barriers: Rashmika Mandanna’s revolutionary new avatar in ‘Cocktail 2’
The star Rashmika Mandanna, who won hearts in India with her "neighborly" beauty in films like Kirik Party and Geetha Govindam, is making headlines for a completely different reason now. As she pursues a career in Bollywood, she’s said to be unwinding her “sweet” persona and stepping up into a role that’s both audacious and unorthodox.
Shift from Pushpa to Thama: Boldness & Its Evolution
Rashmika’s career trajectory began to trend during the worldwide breakout Pushpa: The Rise, which turned her into Srivalli, a character with her first bite of rustic audacity. Rashmika was much more intense by the time Thama (the supernatural horror-comedy piece of the Maddock Universe) was onscreen in late 2025. Acting as Tadaka, a supernatural “betaal,” she put on a combination of action, grit and grown-up-ness.
‘Cocktail 2’ Twist: A Modern Love Story
While fans were mulling her evolution in Thama and her riveting performance in Girlfriend a film that confronted male ego some new news was leaked of her next Bollywood work Cocktail 2. Directed by Homi Adajania, who directed the 2012 original, featuring Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone, the sequel is set to subvert the traditional love triangle. Though the first is said to have been about one man and two women in a complicated friendship, it's speculated behind closed doors and some reports inside said Cocktail 2 was made with Kriti Sanon and Rashmika Mandanna as a lesbian couple.
A New Kind of Love Triangle
The central romance in this iteration is supposedly that between the two lead ladies, with Shahid Kapoor playing a major third figure who consummates the modern relationship arrangement. If these reports are true, it would be a momentous moment for mainstream Indian cinema to feature two A-list stars in a same-sex relationship in a major franchise.
Director Homi Adajania said filming for Cocktail 2 was officially over on January 31, 2026. Although the story in the movie’s post-production section is more or less completed, it was moved in a deliberate manner, most likely to September 2026 to keep a clash with Shahid Kapoor’s other large film, O Romeo, to an estimated later date.
Rashmika Mandanna’s adventurous willingness to try out her hand at what have been called “bold” and “glamorous” roles suggests an actress with no fear of taking chances. Her action sequences in Thama, coupled with the rumored boundary-pushing narrative of Cocktail 2, prove Rashmika is set to redefine what a leading lady looks like in 2026.
