‘Thai Kizhavi’ was a Movie Meant for Rajinikanth: Radhika’s Emotional Speech at Trailer Launch!

February 24, 2026 Published by Natarajan Karuppiah

Produced by Sivakarthikeyan and directed by Sivakumar Murugesan, the upcoming film ‘Thai Kizhavi’ held its trailer launch ceremony in a grand manner yesterday (Feb. 24) in Chennai. The event saw the participation of the film’s crew and several cinema celebrities.

During the event, actress Radhika Sarathkumar shared several interesting insights about the film’s creation and her character.

Speaking about the film, Radhika mentioned, “I recently had the opportunity to watch this film along with Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasan. I laughed and enjoyed the entire movie. Honestly, while watching it, I felt this was a film Superstar Rajinikanth should have acted in. However, since he wouldn’t play this specific role, they transformed that vibrant character into a female lead and cast me.”

Radhika also shared the physical challenges she faced for her look in the film, citing Kamal Haasan as her role model:

The Makeup Struggle: “I had to sit through four and a half hours of makeup every day for this character. I used to get very frustrated, but during those times, I would think of Kamal sir.”

The ‘Avvai Shanmughi’ Connection: “He once told me about the hardships he faced for Avvai Shanmughi. He said the makeup would start melting after three hours, yet he would endure it and perform. When I think of how he tirelessly wore makeup for so many iconic roles, my struggles felt insignificant.”

“Kamal sir always tells me: ‘Radhika, you shouldn’t be visible on screen; only the character you portray should be visible.’ Those words are deeply etched in my mind. It was with that inspiration that I took on this ‘Thai Kizhavi’ character,” she said emotionally.

Directed by Sivakumar Murugesan, Thai Kizhavi features an ensemble cast including Radhika Sarathkumar, Bala Saravanan, Singampuli, Munishkanth, and Muthukumar. With music composed by Nivas K. Prasanna, the film is a family comedy set against a rural backdrop. Thai Kizhavi is slated for a theatrical release soon.