“My role in Modha Rathri has a lot of emotions and love infused together”: Anishma Anilkumar on Her Mature Role in ‘Modha Rathiri’
Anishma Anilkumar is rapidly emerging as one of the promising young performers to watch in Tamil cinema. With ‘Sirai’ and ‘Youth’ earning her strong appreciation, she has already begun building a reputation for choosing varied characters rather than settling into a familiar mould. That ability to explore contrasting shades so early in her career has made her a performer audiences are increasingly watching with interest. Now, with ‘Modha Rathiri’, Anishma takes another step forward by portraying a more mature woman whose emotions, expectations and inner conflicts become an important part of the story.
Actress Anishma Anilkumar says: “What attracted me to ‘Modha Rathiri’ was the emotional space of my character. She is a woman who carries many thoughts and feelings within her, but she doesn’t necessarily express everything openly. I feel there is something very beautiful about portraying such a character because women often experience many emotions simultaneously, especially when they find themselves in an unfamiliar situation. I wanted to approach her with honesty rather than simply playing her as a conventional heroine.”
“This film gave me an opportunity to explore a more mature side of myself as an actor. There is humour and entertainment in the story, but beneath those situations are very real emotions, particularly the expectations, nervousness and uncertainties that can surround a woman entering a new phase of her life. I am grateful to Raja for trusting me with this character and to our producers for giving me the opportunity. Rishikanth has been a wonderful co-star, and I believe audiences will connect with the emotional side of our characters.”
Rather than treating her character merely as a part of the film’s comic situations, Modha Rathiri gives Anishma room to explore the quieter emotions that accompany a major transition in a woman’s life. Her character’s perspective adds another dimension to a story that unfolds through relationships, family dynamics and unexpected circumstances.
The film brings together Rishikanth and Anishma Anilkumar in the lead, alongside Chetan, A. Venkatesh, Bagavathi Perumal, Abdool Lee, Shelly Kishore, Sangeetha Balan, Banupriya, Sumithra Devi L., Varshini Karmegham, Karthikeyan, Velan and Kowshik Kabilan, among others. Bharath Sankar composes the music, while Surendran Paranjothi handles cinematography and Ashok Arjunan takes care of the edit. Poornima Ramaswamy is the Costume Designer and A. Balumahendra is the Art Director.
For Anishma, Modha Rathiri arrives at an interesting stage of her career, after making an impression with diverse roles in her early films, she now gets an opportunity to inhabit a character with greater emotional maturity. Directed by debutant Raja Karuppasamy, the film is produced by Naveen Yerneni and Y. Ravi Shankar under Mythri Movie Makers and is set to reach audiences worldwide on August 21, 2026.
