But the first day on set was anything but a warm welcome. Rashmika, fresh to Telugu‑film life, had been humming a pop‑tune when Vijay, already a handful of releases into his career, snapped, "Turn that music off." The clip of him yelling, "What is this shty music that you’re playing?", crackled through the cabin’s locked caravan, and the newbie’s eyes filled.
—The incident, Rashmika recalled on Prakhar Gupta’s podcast, unfolded in a cramped space that was half his team’s and half hers. She’d been calling him ‘sir’ out of respect; he, in his blunt style, simply assumed everyone would get the joke. When the music cut off, the silence that followed was louder than the track.
Vijay later explained that he was just being himself, a trait he’d carried into the set. He admitted, "I feel like we should be able to talk freely, openly, but sometimes when you don’t know each other fully, it was stupid of me to assume she’d get it." The comment, meant to be a quick banter, hit a raw spot.
She was so hurt it took her weeks to admit it. "She had tears in her eyes because she thought he didn’t like me," Vijay confessed. Rashmika said the moment made her feel like the industry was a battlefield where she could be vulnerable.
Yet, as the shoot progressed, “the equation changed.” Vijay helped her with dialogues, and the once formal ‘sir’ became a friendly nickname. Their on‑screen chemistry, first seen in 2019’s Dear Comrade, blossomed into real‑life romance, culminating in a February 2024 wedding.
So when they’re back together for Rahul Sankrityan’s period drama Ranabaali, slated for Oct. 16, the audience will witness a pair that’s survived a tear‑jerking start to become a powerhouse duo on both sets and screens.