‘I couldn't proccess the mega success I earned in Irudhi Suttru’

CHENNAI: National award-winning actor Ritika Singh was in Chennai on Saturday and talks to DT Next before she could get busy with the upcoming schedules of Superstar Rajinikanth’s Vettaiyan. She also shares her favourite hangout spots and neighbourhoods in Chennai.

Ritika Singh is making her way to launch the Sneaker Fest in Chennai’s Phoenix Marketcity and she is quite excited. “I have been associated with shoes as I started training from the age of three. Sneakers per se are my comfort wear and I like them chunky with good padding. A good pair for sneakers should be of multi-purpose use-- for walking, training, and running. I wear sneakers even for kurtis and I am such a shoe person that my parents are tired of me purchasing them. So imagine the excitement in me when I was approached to launch this fest,” she says.

Having been a part of films like Irudhi Suttru, Aandavan Kattalai, Oh My Kadavule and Kolai, among others, we don’t get to spot Ritika often in town. “I have quite a few favourite spots. Whenever I come to Chennai, I go to the Surf Turf in Kovalam and then people can find me in Nungambakkam because that is one of the places for good food. My friends are in Porur, so these are the places I frequent in and around Chennai,” she reveals.

After Kolai in 2023, Ritika is back in Tamil with Superstar Rajinikanth’s 170th film, Vettaiyan. “I have completed 15-20 days of shooting for Vettaiyan. The experience is great and surreal to be among Rajini sir, Fahad Faasil sir and TJ Gnanavel sir. I will be resuming the shoot soon,” says the actor. The Rajini fan girl moment kicks in for Ritika and she adds, “Rajini sir is always on time for shoot. Moreover, he is such a fun person to be around. He calls me as Rinku Singh, Ritu, Ritika and even if I wish him quietly, he mimics me on spot. His energy levels are that of youngsters. These are the qualities, I believe has made him a star and a great human beyond that.”

Any actor would have gone on a signing spree after winning National award in their first film. That hasn’t been the case of Ritika. She has been conscious about what she wants to do and has taken it one at a time. “When Irudhi Suttru happened and fetched almost all awards under the sun, I was naive and couldn’t process that I was experiencing a mega success with my debut project. Social media too wasn’t a huge thing back then as it started surging shortly after that. That also helped me stay humble in a bittersweet way,” she opens up.

Having worked across genre in a short span of time, she says that her versatility has helped to try things out. “I have always been multifaceted and my choices are distinct. Thanks to Sudha ma’am for Irudhi Suttru. When the film released, even my family thought that I pulled it off because I am a boxer. But only after I did Aandavan Kattalai, and Oh My Kadavule, people started trusting my abilities. Also, we are catering for the social media generation. So there needs to be a fine balance,” adds Ritika.

She is also confident of headlining a female centric pan-India project. “Bring it on. I can handle a Tamil-Telugu-Hindi trilingual too. Since my childhood, I have a flair for languages. My math is terrible but languages are my thing,” concludes Ritika.