Overnight stardom in the film industry is largely a myth; real career growth is typically gradual and painstaking. Actor Rishikanth’s fame in Modha Rathiri stands as a testament to this patience; he worked for 15 years before securing his lead role in Raja Karuppasamy’s Modha Rathiri. He will next appear in Karthik Subbaraj’s Dorothy.
In a recent interview, actor Rishikanth opened up on making it into Tamil cinema. “My outlook on what I watched on screen was that when I was little, I believed cartoons were real, and they were shot on location. Later, when I wanted to enter cinema, I learnt that there is a place called Chennai, where film shoots happen. Maybe, if I were from Chennai and I had more connections in this industry, I would have grown sooner. But because I am not from Chennai, it took me 15 years to grow properly,” said the actor.
He added, “But I would say, these 15 years were needed. Every year, when I wouldn’t get an opportunity, I would conclude that I wasn’t ready yet, so I would analyse how to get ready to grow.”
Rishikanth went on to say, “Getting into cinema is easy, but sustaining here is difficult. If I choose this as my profession, this is my personal choice. But I shouldn’t let my choice affect my family or any loved ones. So, to choose this as a profession, I need to be here until I am old, and for that I should learn to sustain.”
Rishikanth, who began his career with the online sketch group Temple Monkeys, has played a part in films like Hero (2018), Indian 2 (2024), and Coolie (2025), and the OTT series Mathagam. He leads the cast of Dorothy alongside Keerthy Suresh and Sananth. After having a world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, it will open in theatres. Ilaiyaraaja has composed music for Dorothy.
Source: Cinema Express
