Rishi (actor)

Rishi aka Rishi Raj
Born Rishi Chandrasekaran
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation Film & television actor, TV Host
Years active 2003-present

Rishi is an Indian film, theatre and television actor. He is a regular performer on the Chennai stage and is best known for his trend-setting anchoring style in Sun TV's phenomenally successful Deala No Deala (Tamil version of Deal or No Deal).His second non-fiction show with Endemol India was Sun TV's Kaiyil Oru Kodi (Tamil version of Million Dollar Money Drop),[1] one of the most successful TV programmes of the year. Rishi has appeared in supporting roles in Tamil films most notably Anandha Thandavam and Payanam (Gaganam in Telugu).

He is currently the brand ambassador for Vim Liquid for South India.

Early life

Rishi is the only child of Malyali father S. Chandrashekaran and Gujarathi mother Gayathri Chandrashekaran , with his father being a musician and his mother an amateur poet. His paternal grandfather is the ex-politician C.R. Subramaniam (aka 'Tamil' Mani), a member of the Kamaraj headed Congress in the 60s. At 17, Rishi quit engineering to do theatre.[2]

Career

Television

Rishi appeared in a few fiction and non-fiction shows on STAR Vijay before appearing on Sun TV with Endemol's Dealaa No Dealaa (Tamil version of Deal or No Deal). This was a runaway success with Rishi's anchoring style making him a household name among the Tamil people all over the world, with a special fan following in Malaysia and Canada.[3] Sun TV broke the norm of low-budget game shows by pumping in never-before-seen funds and resources making it a trendsetter not only in its success but also the way the TV business was done in Southern India. In 2012, Endemol South and Sun TV joined hands once again for Kaiyil Oru Kodi, Are you ready? (Tamil version of Million Dollar Money Drop) with Rishi as the anchor. It was one of the most successful shows of the year. And Sun TV received special praise for confidently choosing Rishi as the anchor over film-stars who were failing to keep audiences glued to the television anyway.[4] In 2009-10 Rishi played the lead in the hugely popular Telugu-language soap opera, Sundarakanda the first Indian TV show to be shot in the USA.

Films

Having idolized M.R. Radha and Raghuvaran through his childhood, Rishi has always wanted to play negative roles and made his debut in Ananda Thandavam. (The forgettable and very sparsely released Thodakkam came and went noiselessly with barely anybody being aware of its release). He then went on to do supporting roles in a few films like Mandhira Punnagai, Mirattal, Naan Sigappu Manithan etc. and then appeared in the ensemble cast of Payanam (Gaganam in telugu) that brought him a lot of attention.

He also played the lead role in Parithi opposite actress Kareenasha, but the film did not have a theatrical release.[5]

On the stage

Rishi started to direct and act in plays at 17. He did a series of Shakespeare readings in 2006. He has appeared in the Metroplus Theatre Festival with The Madras Players twice. Recently, Rishi received rave reviews for his performance in the play Honour.[6]

Filmography

Film

Year Film Role Language Notes
2008ThodakkamHabeebTamil
2009Ananda ThandavamRadhakrishnanTamil
Aadatha AattamellamKannanTamil
2010Mandhira PunnagaiShankarTamil
2011GaganamVinodTelugu
PayanamTamil
2012MirattalGauthamTamil
2014Naan Sigappu ManithanKarthikTamil
YaanRamTamil
2015JK Enum Nanbanin VaazhkaiTamil
TBANandanamTamilUnreleased
Iruvar UllamSureshTamilUnreleased

Television

Year Title Role Language Notes
2005-2006Idhu Oru Kadhal KathaiAnanthuTamil
2009-2010AsoakavanamAjayTelugu and Tamil
2012-2013Padamatha GaliTelugu
Year Show Role Language Notes
2011Deala No DealahostTamil
2012Kaiyil Oru Kodi - Are You Ready?hostTamil
2014-2015Vendhar VeetukkalyanamhostTamil
2015–2016Super ChallengehostTamil

References

  1. ↑ http://www.sunnetwork.in/1crore/tamil/
  2. ↑ http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/sep/24/slide-show-1-south-interview-with-rishi.htm
  3. ↑ http://www.veethi.com/india-people/rishi-profile-920-17.htm
  4. ↑ http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/
  5. ↑ http://www.indiaglitz.com/tamil-movies-parithi-gallery-13840.html
  6. ↑ http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/a-matter-of-honour/article6142931.ece
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