Rashmika Mandanna Returns to ‘Raaka’ Set as Karan Mehta Joins Cast

Rashmika Mandanna has resumed shooting for Allu Arjun and Atlee’s pan‑India film Raaka in Mumbai. The actress was on a medical break after a severe right‑hip tendon detachment suffered during a dance sequence for Mysaa last month. She had been slated to join the Raaka sets in August, but her schedule was reshuffled because of the injury. Rashmika is now fully recovered and began filming yesterday alongside Allu Arjun. She will work on the set for only a few days this time, with her full‑scale portions scheduled to start next month. The two stars are set to film several key action sequences together, marking their second collaboration after the Pushpa franchise. Karan Mehta has also entered the Raaka ensemble. Mehta debuted in Bollywood with Anurag Kashyap’s 2023 musical drama Almost Pyaar With DJ Mohabbat and earlier assisted Rahul Dholakia on Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees. He has already started shooting for a key role in the film. Raaka is billed as a large‑scale fantasy actioner set in a parallel universe. Its star‑studded pan‑India cast includes Allu Arjun, Deepika Padukone, Mrunal Thakur, Rashmika Mandanna, and Janhvi Kapoor, with Ramya Krishnan, Yogi Babu and Jim Sarbh in pivotal parts. Sun Pictures is producing the film. Reports that Aishwarya Lekshmi is part of the cast have been refuted by sources. The project is highly anticipated as Allu Arjun’s first film after the blockbuster Pushpa and his first collaboration with director Atlee, who recently delivered the Hindi hit Jawan that earned nearly Rs 1150 crore worldwide. Raaka is expected to wrap by the first quarter of 2027 and aim for a late‑2027 theatrical release.