Vijay Deverakonda, Rashmika recall school years as Ranabaali makers deny price hike

Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna are promoting their upcoming period action drama Ranabaali ahead of its theatrical release on October 16, with the actor couple opening up about formative experiences from their boarding-school years. The Indian Express reported that Vijay said growing up in a strict boys’ hostel left him scared of speaking to women for years, while Rashmika recalled being cornered over her language and accent and later encountering similar comments after entering the film industry.

Separately, Ranabaali producer Mythri Movie Makers has denied reports that it applied for higher ticket prices in Andhra Pradesh. According to The Indian Express, the production house called the reports “completely false” in an official statement on X and said the film would release at standard ticket prices in both Telugu states. Directed by Rahul Sankrityan, Ranabaali is set to arrive in theatres worldwide on October 16.

Key facts about Vijay Deverakonda, Rashmika and Ranabaali

Detail	Information
Film	Ranabaali
Lead actors	Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna
Director	Rahul Sankrityan
Release date	October 16, 2026
Ticket price position	Makers say no hike has been sought in either Telugu state
Vijay’s role	Singanamala Bobbili Ranabaali
Rashmika’s role	Jayamma

Vijay Deverakonda recalls strict boys’ boarding school

In an interview with Prakhar Gupta cited by The Indian Express, Vijay said he was born in Hyderabad and was sent to a boarding school in Andhra Pradesh at the age of six. He remained there until he was 15 and returned to Hyderabad after completing Class 10.

Vijay said the boys’ hostel had no television, operated under strict disciplinary rules and offered almost no interaction with girls apart from female teachers. “I don’t think it was to do with looks, but when you grow up in a boys hostel from age 6 to 15, and other than female teachers, you never seen a girl, this happens. Seeing girls from a distance felt like a concept,” he said.

He added, “Women are there and they walk like this, we weren’t allowed to look at each other. It was really strict. We used to spend 10 months in a year in boarding school. We came home only for two months to spend time with our families. There was no TV there and we were only shown one film every two weeks.”

The experience continued to affect him when he returned home as a teenager. Vijay said he did not speak to a girl for more than two years. “After spending 10 formative years there, when you come back as a teenager with hormones, you are attracted to the opposite gender but you don’t know how they operate. You don’t have the courage to talk to them. First two years of coming back, I didn’t speak to a girl at all. I used to look outside the window in our school bus to avoid talking to the girls,” he said.

Vijay also recalled that when girls invited him to sit with them, he would avoid eye contact and look outside the bus window while speaking. He said his heart would pound during those interactions. Eventually, after his intermediate second year, he decided to move past the fear and spoke to “the first pretty girl” he saw when he began his B.Com.

Rashmika Mandanna says hostel years shaped her survival skills

Rashmika’s boarding-school experience was markedly different. The Indian Express reported that she entered boarding school at the age of four and studied in a co-educational environment where boys and girls could initially eat together in separate rows. She said dining arrangements became separate after Class 5, but interaction between boys and girls had been part of school life from the beginning.

Rashmika said the school included students from different parts of the world and that she often felt pressure to fit in with the expectations of senior students and different social groups. “There were people from different parts of the world, and you had to live up to their traditions so that they don’t call you uncool. It’s not bullying, ragging, it’s actually cornering. The surviving skills I have today came from that time. In the industry today, I am doing the same thing I was doing at the hostel back then,” she said.

She also recalled difficulties communicating in English after moving to a hostel in Coorg, saying Tamil was the first language she had learnt in early childhood. “When I came to this hostel in Coorg. Suddenly, someone asked me something in English, and I went mum. I didn’t know. It was terrible, I couldn’t communicate in English,” she said.

Rashmika said she entered the school in Class 4 and remained there until Class 10. By then, she felt other students had already formed opinions about her. “No matter how much you speak in English, people already think ‘You are lesser than us’. I realised that it would be my survival instinct where I just smile to things,” she said.

According to The Indian Express, Rashmika said criticism of her accent and acting after she entered the film industry did not feel entirely unfamiliar because of those earlier experiences. “When I came to the industry, people commented that I have a different accent or that I’m not a good actor. When something like this happens, and you feel that you have been dealing with such things since a long time. This is nothing new.”

Ranabaali makers deny ticket price hike reports

As promotions continue, Mythri Movie Makers has also addressed reports concerning ticket pricing. The Indian Express reported that the production house issued a statement on X on Sunday denying that it had applied for a ticket price hike in Andhra Pradesh.

“There have been reports that we have applied for ticket price hikes in Andhra Pradesh for Ranabaali. We would like to clarify that these reports are completely false. We have not applied for any ticket price hikes in either of the Telugu states,” the statement read.

The makers also confirmed that the film would arrive in cinemas at standard ticket rates. “Ranabaali will release at standard ticket prices, and we are confident that audiences will have a great cinematic experience this festive season,” the statement added.

The Indian Express reported that Andhra Pradesh maintains controls on theatrical ticket prices, with increases requiring government approval. It also said Telangana operates under a similar but slightly different framework, with the state government retaining authority over approvals for ticket prices.

Ranabaali to release worldwide on October 16

Ranabaali is directed by Rahul Sankrityan and stars Vijay as Singanamala Bobbili Ranabaali, according to The Indian Express. The newspaper described the character as a Rayalaseema warrior who rises against British colonial forces during the Madras Famine of 1876-78.

Rashmika plays Jayamma, while South African actor Arnold Vosloo appears as the British antagonist Sir Theodore Hector. The Indian Express reported that the film is produced by Naveen Yerneni and Y. Ravi Shankar under the Mythri Movie Makers banner and is presented by T-Series.

Ranabaali will release worldwide on October 16, during the Dussehra festival window. The Indian Express reported that it will reach cinemas one day after Rajinikanth’s Jailer 2, which releases on October 15, putting the two films in competition for screens across the Telugu and Tamil markets.

Frequently asked questions

When is Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna’s Ranabaali releasing?

The Indian Express reported that Ranabaali will release worldwide in theatres on October 16, 2026.

Did Ranabaali makers ask for a ticket price hike?

The Indian Express reported that Mythri Movie Makers called such reports “completely false” and said it had not applied for ticket price hikes in either Telugu state.

Why was Vijay Deverakonda scared to talk to women?

The Indian Express reported that Vijay said spending ages six to 15 in a strict boys’ boarding school with almost no interaction with girls left him without the confidence to speak to them when he returned home.