Star Candidate: Raadhika Sarathkumar/ BJP

VIRUDHUNAGAR: The beloved ‘Chithi’ of late 90s and early 2K kids and a prominent actress of South Indian cinema, Raadhika Sarathkumar is one of the star candidates, who is contesting on a BJP ticket in Virudhunagar. Born to Nadigavel MR Radha, renowned actor-politician and a Tamil woman from Sri Lanka in Colombo, Raadhika started her film debut in the 1978 Tamil movie Kizhakke Pogum Rail. She now started her political debut from Virudhunagar Lok Sabha constituency.

BJP has fielded her against her former friend Vijayakant’s son Vijaya Prabhakaran. Unlike other actor-turned politicians, Raadhika is canvassing electorates by recalling her famous cinema and TV roles and dialogues. While acting in several Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi films, Raadhika also produced a movie titled Meendum Oru Kaathal Kathai (1985), which won the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a director.

She was awarded Best Telugu Actress for Nyayam Kavali, Best Tamil actress for Dharma Devathai, Neethikku Thandanai and Keladi Kanmani. Raadhika also took on the small screen and produced television serials under Radaan Mediaworks. She also won the hearts of millions of Tamil housewives through her prime time serials such as Chithi, Annamalai, Selvi, Arasi, Chellamay, Vani Rani, Thamarai and Chithi 2.

Raadhika has won one National Film award and six Filmfare Award Souths, three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, one Cinema Express award and one Nandi awards. After marrying actor Sarathkumar in 2001, she joined the AIADMK in 2006 and after a few months, she was dismissed from the party for anti-party activities by the late party supremo J Jayalalithaa.

Raadhika, who was the vice-president of Sarathkumar’s AISMK, joined the BJP when her husband merged their decade-old party.