Celebrated actors like Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Pankaj Tripathi and Amitabh Bachchan have all endured their share of struggles before attaining success. Their journeys are seen as a testament to the perseverance required to make it in showbiz and Tamil actor Rishikanth’s story is no different. For Rishikanth, acting was not just a passion but he believed that it was the only skill he could turn into a source of income. With no alternative career in sight, he held on to his dreams and 15 years later, his patience finally paid off, with two of his films, Dorothy and Modha Ratri, emerging as box-office successes.
After spending 15 years living in a small room away from his family, the actor is finally in a position to buy a bigger home and fulfil his long-cherished dream of living with his loved ones.
Speaking about the success of his films, Rishikanth told The Hindu, “I am happy that I kept sending in my resume all these years. Whenever my first film does well, I need to keep making more films—only then will I get work, I thought. So, for those 15 years, I had a blind faith. The belief that one day, I will definitely get work never left me. Each and every good soul who got me work, everyone who supported and made these films a success—I am deeply grateful to those who got me that work. I owe them a huge thanks and am indebted to them.”
How Rishikanth found his way into acting
When Rishikanth was born, his parents named him after the popular actor Rajinikanth. His father liked the name, and the name itself would eventually lead people to speculate about a possible connection between the two actors. Rajinikanth became Rishikanth’s idol, particularly for his discipline.
Dorothy stars Rishikanth. (Photo: IMDb)
“I didn’t take any route as such. From the time I was little, even before I knew what was what, I was in UKG when my mother had kept a photo cut-out where I am wearing a mouse costume for some drama. After that, even before I knew what was what, I had done a lot of stage shows and small dramas. Later, when I went to school, I was very much into cultural activities,” he said and added, “However, academically, I was always out of my class. They never let me inside the classroom. I would just pass in every subject.”
From YouTube sketches to short films
Rishikanth’s early years in the industry were shaped by friendships and a willingness to experiment. At a time when YouTube had yet to become the cultural phenomenon it is today, he found opportunities through common friends. He was part of the popular YouTube channel Temple Monkeys.
“When I was doing YouTube, YouTube hadn’t boomed yet. There was no YouTube culture at all. So, the way it happened was through common friends. At that time, I was looking for a room. A place to share and stay.
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“Vijay Anna, then Jagadish Anna and my close friend who had just finished college, him, and then Manoj Anna, Bhoopathi Anna—all of us stayed together when I made a short film. That short film was edited right there on a system they had. Prabhanjan edited it. After watching it, Vijay Anna said, ‘Hey, if we write a script and make something, we can do it as a team, right?’”
“When Vijay used to write stories and pitch them to others, if they didn’t work out anywhere else, he would shoot them for his YouTube channel and earn his rental income from there. YouTube slowly started. It just went along randomly like that. Then I started doing things on many other channels as well.”
However, Rishikanth soon realised that making short films and YouTube sketches required different approaches.
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Modha ratri stars Rishikanth. (Photo: IMDb)
“But beyond a point, what I felt was making short films and making YouTube sketches are very different. I told Vijay Anna, ‘Can we do something like a short film? Or something that is story-oriented with a character?’ After that, I came to a decision, he understood what I wanted, and as for sketches, there are many people who do them much better.
“That doesn’t come as naturally to me. After that, I started going more into short films.”
Choosing acting despite uncertainty
Rishikanth pursued visual communication for his higher studies but did not complete the course. “There was no way to look for another job. I didn’t know how to do anything else. From a young age—even during school—I was only into these cultural activities. So I don’t have any other thought process.” The actor was determined that his choices should never compromise the well-being of his family or the family he hoped to have in the future.
“I can go hungry for a day, but I should not make the people with me go hungry. So whenever that changes financially, when it becomes a profession, I need to develop the capability for that. I need to have what it takes for that.
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Rishikanth had his doubts until he played the role of a lawyer in the film Hero. “Right up until that film was made, the doubt kept staying with me: Could we continue in this profession? Could we tackle it? What am I missing out on? What should I do? That question kept living inside me. But after Hero was all done, I felt like, okay, I can survive.”
The financial security that came with acting professionally gave him confidence that he could support himself and his family. “I felt that, to a reasonable extent, on a minimal budget, I can manage. I can take care of my family and take care of myself.”
‘Acting is my first love’
Despite his determination, Rishikanth’s journey was far from easy. There were days when the uncertainty threatened to overwhelm him. “Downs will come. Usually, what I did during those days and times was speak to myself and ask: ‘Okay, let’s assume you leave this. Then what is your plan?’ And then I would understand there was no other plan, so the option was to stick to acting and the day would pass.”
He compared his relationship with acting to a romance in which one might threaten to walk away but ultimately cannot let go. “Acting is my first love,” he said.
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Looking back, Rishikanth believes his difficult days turned out to be some of the most beautiful because they taught him valuable lessons.
He never viewed rejection and humiliation negatively, choosing instead to treat them as opportunities for correction. For him, the best way to deal with setbacks was to avoid taking himself too seriously, acknowledge his shortcomings and work on becoming better.
His positive approach to success and failure helped him remain committed to acting for 15 years.
“The number of failures I have had is enormous. Out of those, one or two are good things. But still, I have always kept on going, doing my work. It will take you to the right place.”
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A home after 15 years of struggle
Rishikanth spent years living alone in a small room in Ekkaduthangal, Chennai. The room became the space where he and his collaborators worked tirelessly on scripts and stories.
“I was staying alone in a room in a mansion. That room had tiles on the walls. So on every tile, every scene was written with a marker, again and again—that’s the room where a lot of the six years of discussions happened for the film Modha Ratri.”
His family, who depend entirely on farming, remained in their hometown while he pursued his dreams. During those 15 years away from home, Rishikanth also lost his mother. Now, with the success of his films, the actor has finally bought a home where he can live with his father and sister.
“Now, things are settling down a little. Now, they are also willing to come with me. So I have been longing for a long time that we should all live together in Chennai.”
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While his father and sister are now proud of him, there was a time when his father worried about his uncertain future and his sister suggested that he leave acting and settle in Saudi Arabia. “I will get your passport in six months. They were about to send me away to Dubai. In my family, every generation has been sent there. Luckily, work came my way.”
With multiple offers and projects in the pipeline, Rishikanth’s long wait for success is finally over. After 15 years of perseverance, the actor is ready for his next chapter.
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