Srikanth - The Actor who "almost" made it to the Big League.
- FC Team
- Jun 29
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 30
Actor Srikanth, the Chocolate Boy of the 2,000s' era, was introduced as the lead in Sasi's Roja Kootam in 2002. He earned his big bang of an entry with V.Ravichandran's Oscar Film Productions after years of running helter-skelter in the media industry.
Director Kathir spotted Srikanth in a newspaper article and called him to audition for his next film. This led to Srikanth's first offer to play the lead on silver screen for the movie, Kadhal Virus. Srikanth went through acting training for a year under the hands of Director Mysskin and Vetrimaran, who were young assistant directors in 2,000. However, he was replaced by Richard Rishi since Srikanth lacked a matured look needed for the character. Srikanth stated that he was fired since he could not grow a mush at that time.
Srikanth lived the next year like a vagabond actor taking up TV commercials and serials until Sasi calls him to audition for Roja Kootam. He stated that a child was shown a picture of him from the audition and was asked if she likes him and his fate was sealed. The film and the songs were a storming hit and Tamil Industry got it's second "Chocolate Hero" after Madhavan.
Srikanth saw the peak of his career in the next 5 years with monster hits like Manasellaam, April Maathathil, Kana Kanden. He also won a State Award for his performance in Parthiban Kanavu. Reigning strong till 2008 with commercial successes, things started to shift in 2008.
The audience were shown refined styles of storytelling with films like Subramaniyapuram, Ghajini and premium commercial films like 13B and Ghajini. As actors collaborated with Directors who re-wrote the rules of the game, Srikanth stuck to what he does best - rom-coms and popcorn flicks. With Ajith, Vijay, Suriya, Simbu and Dhanush gaining popularity among the masses, Srikanth stayed behind due to his film choices. Srikanth continued to make films till 2025, but as the movies failed to make an impact in the box office, the production houses refused to pay his dues.
Adding insult to injury, Srikanth hit the news in 2008 with his marriage to Vandhana as he appealed for a marriage annulment in within 2 days of being wedded. The story grew dirty wings as the media spectacle tarnished his image to the ground. The couple reconciled in a year, however the stain left a mark. Srikanth has been tightlipped about his family life and remained off social media ever since.
Srikanth tried making a comeback in Shankar's Nanban starring Vijay and Jeeva. Though the film was a commercial success, it did little good to Srikanth who was itching to bounce back into the industry.
It is an actor's market that determines the kind of scripts that come his way, not his acting prowess - Actor Srikanth
As Srikanth patiently waits for his turn to shine on the silver screen, things take a shocking turn as he is embroiled in a state-wide drug scandal. Srikanth was arrested from his residence by Tamilnadu State Police for administering cocaine and has been detained in the police custody for 3 days.
He has claimed that the producer of his upcoming film paid his remuneration with bags of cocaine and induced his drug addiction. As the investigation is underway, the police have not issued an official statement to the media as it is speculated that many actors might be persecuted in this case.
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