Mrunal Thakur's High Benchmark Claim Sparks Debate

Actress Mrunal Thakur, who won hearts in Telugu cinema with her performances in Sita Ramam and Hi Nanna, is once again in the spotlight—this time for her comments on maintaining a “high benchmark” while choosing roles.

Having earned a reputation for picking emotionally rich and performance-driven characters, Mrunal has been selective about her Telugu projects. After a brief gap, she is set to return with Dacoit, co-starring Adivi Sesh, which has already generated curiosity among fans.

Speaking at an event of her upcoming film 'Dacoit', she talked about her career choices, Mrunal revealed that she had turned down several big-budget films despite their strong packaging. She admitted it wasn’t easy, saying she rejected them “with a big and heavy heart.” According to her, the benchmark set by her characters Sita Mahalakshmi and Yashna made her more mindful about the roles she signs going forward.

However, her statement has triggered debate on social media. Some users pointed out that a few of her recent Bollywood projects, including Son of Sardaar 2 and Do Deewane Shaher Mein, did not necessarily align with the high standards she spoke about. This has led to criticism that her choices appear inconsistent.

Weighing in on the discussion, director Hemanth Madhukar defended the actress, stating that social media reactions should not dictate an artist’s decisions. He emphasized that every actor has the right to choose roles based on personal and professional considerations.

He further explained that Mrunal may have understood how Telugu audiences perceive her and is possibly trying to maintain that image. “A heroine is presented in a glamorous way in Bollywood, while mostly in a traditional manner in Tollywood and Kollywood, so she is playing her cards well,” he noted.

The director also pointed out that actresses like Rashmika Mandanna, Sreeleela, and Keerthy Suresh constantly balance content-driven cinema with glam-centric roles in varied languages. He added that factors such as expanding market reach, better collaborations, and career momentum often influence decisions, and not every project can be purely driven role-centric.

"Being a multilingual actress has its own set of challenges," he concludes