Rashmika-Vijay make first appearance since Koffee With Karan episode backlash

Rashmika Mandanna and Vijay Deverakonda have made their first public appearance together since the online storm over their Koffee With Karan Season 9 episode, and the video is already doing the rounds on social media.

Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna make first joint appearance since viral Koffee With Karan episode

Rashmika Mandanna and Vijay Deverakonda were spotted at Hyderabad airport wearing face masks. Reports say they were heading out on a Diwali break with family. Vijay’s brother, actor Anand Deverakonda, was seen travelling with them.The couple were seen about two weeks after the episode aired. On the show, Vijay said Rashmika had asked him to marry her around 100 times. Rashmika clarified that the conversation had stretched over roughly a year. Some viewers read his telling as dismissive of her, and a section of social media branded him a “red flag.”

Both Rashmika and Vijay have since responded in their own ways. Vijay first reposted a satirical reel mocking people who dissect celebrity relationships online. He later posted a stronger message calling himself and Rashmika “gloriously happy.” Rashmika published an eight-page statement in which she said the controversy was never about the number of times or the length of the discussion. She also wrote, “So please, don't worry about me or him. I genuinely wish and pray that you find someone you love who loves you just as deeply. And if that isn't what you want for yourself, that's completely fine too. Live the life that makes you happy.” In follow-up remarks she described the reaction as an “angry mob.”

Rashmika and Vijay's team has also approached the Hyderabad cybercrime police over what it called false and harmful posts about the couple.

Vijay and Rashmika married in an intimate ceremony in Udaipur on February 26, 2026, and have co-starred in Geetha Govindam and Dear Comrade. The couple are also both part of the upcoming period action drama Ranabaali.

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