Rishikanth (born 21 September) is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. His career began with the YouTube group Temple Monkeys, and he played minor supporting roles in various films and TV series. Modha Rathri (2026) is his first starring film.
His other works include films such as Sila Nerangalil Sila Manidhargal (2022), Sevappi (2024), Made in Korea (2026), and Dorothy (2026), as well as the TV series Local Times (2026).
Career Before entering the film industry, Rishikanth was a member of the YouTube group Temple Monkeys. He claimed that he came to Chennai seeking opportunities after learning that the Tamil film industry was largely based there. He has been in the film industry for many years, consistently playing minor supporting roles in numerous films. He has appeared in the films Sila Nerangalil Sila Manidhargal (2022), Hero (2019), Indian 2 (2024) and Coolie (2025), as well as the streaming series Mathagam (2023). In 2024, he played a significant supporting role in the film Sevappi, starring Poornima Ravi and Shravan Athvethan.
It was not until 2026 that he appeared in Modha Rathri, the first film in which he played the lead role. Upon its release, the film received widespread acclaim from both critics and audiences. Commenting on this, Rishikanth noted that it took him so many years to land a lead role in a film: "But I would say, these [...] years were needed. Every year, when I wouldn't get an opportunity, I would concur that I wasn't ready yet, so I would analyse on how to get ready to grow." That same year, he also appeared in the Netflix original film Made in Korea and the Amazon Prime Video original series Local Times. Subsequently, he starred in the film Dorothy, directed by Karthik Subbaraj, which was also released in 2026.
Personal life Rishikanth drew comparisons to Rajinikanth due to the resemblance in both his appearance and his name. He explained that "Rishikanth" was the name given to him by his parents—not a stage name—and he was unsure if they had been influenced by Rajinikanth, adding, "Back in the '90s, names ending with '-kanth' were famous, so that might have been the reason."
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2015 Bench Talkies The wounded man Segment: "Puzhu" 2018 Irumbu Thirai Kesavan 2019 K-13 Opposite flat tenantMagamuni Gothandapani's friend Hero Sekhar 2021 Rocky Udhai 2022 Sila Nerangalil Sila Manidhargal Murali O2 Rafiq 2023 Pallu Padama Paathuka Bruno Neymar Venkat Malayalam film 2024 Sevappi Karnan Rasavathi Indian 2 Harish 2025 Niram Marum Ulagil Kannan Coolie Rishi 2026 Couple Friendly Karthik Telugu film Made in Korea Mani Modha Rathri MaruthanayagamDebut as Lead Actor Dorothy Karthi TBA Indian 3: War Mode Harish
Television Year Title Role Platform Notes 2020 Locked Sagar Aha 7 episodes 2021 Kalyanam to Kadhal YouTube Web series 2023 Mathagam Nathan Disney+ Hotstar 7 episodes 2026 Local Times Veera Amazon Prime Video 7 episodes
Short films Year Title Role 2020 Ponnira Malai Modi & A Beer 2022 Couple Friendly Nenjam Nenjam 2023 Marakkave Ninaikiren Oodal2024 Paathi Nee Paathi Naan
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