Rishikanth Rajendran (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.
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."
↑Cross, Christopher (11 September 2026). "TIFF 2026: 'Dorothy' Review". Asynchronous Media. Archived from the original on 12 September 2026. Retrieved 21 September 2026.