Circa 2000. Times when the Vijay TV show Naiyandi Darbar hosted by Yugi Sethu was being received well for his comic presentation, and one of the episodes had Trisha Krishnan, who had won the Miss Salem and Miss Chennai in 1999 as the guest.

As he introduces her, a young Trisha, then a class 12 student in Church park, cutely renders  "I'm a bow-legged Chicken" song, and after regular questions on modelling entry, Yugi asks the question reserved for beauty contest winners - " Can we see you in cinema soon?". An instant reply comes from Trish, "No, not at all, its not my cup of tea!" (as a matter of fact, she had already been a part of Jodi(1999) as Simran's friend in an uncredited role) and Yugi sarcastically responds, "Everyone who wins beauty pageants comes up with this typical reply, but later will be seen dancing to AR Rahman's tunes, and not so surprising, that was what exactly happened in Trisha's case as well!

After several modelling assignments including Junior Horlicks , Fair and Lovely , and being a part of Falguni Pathak's music video "Meri Chunar Udd Udd Jaaye , Trisha got her first offer from Priyadarshan, to play the female lead in his Lesa Lesa, an adaptation of Malayalam blockbuster "Summer In Bethlehem", and though she had hesitated initially, she could not for long, as it was an offer she could not refuse, and finally signed the project. A dream debut opposite the most loved, chocolate boy Maddy, and with decent scope to perform as well, and for a girl who did not want to be in films, she had signed 4 of them even before her debut outing got released!

Besides Lesa Lesa, Trisha had Enakku 20 Unakku 18(Yes,as Yugi said, dancing to ARR's tunes happened quite soon!), Mounam Pesiyathe with Suriya and Thiruda with Ajith (which she quit later citing date clashes, and this was the movie that became Jana later)in her kitty, and with the delay of Lesa Lesa and Enakku 20 Unakku 18, Mounam Pesiyathe became her debut, and as Sandhya, she made a good impact with her pretty looks and her "Pesalame" expression was most loved. Her next, Manasellam failed, despite having some scope for her. And then came the first big blockbuster of her career - Saamy(2003). The Chiyaan Vikram starrer, directed by Hari, had her venturing into glamour for the first time, and while she was traditional and homely as Bhuvana, in the songs, especially Ayyayo Pudichiruku  and Kalyanam thaan Kattikitu , she sizzled, and Vikatan review had the words on Trisha, "Tamil cinema has got its next Simran".

2004 was a happening year for Trisha, as she made waves in Tollywood, with Varsham starring Prabhas where she got to balance between cuteness and glam, playing Sailaja, and the movie fetched her a Best Actress Filmfare as well. The same year saw her pairing with Vijay for the first time, to score a blockbuster Ghilli, where she played Dhanalakshmi,  the damsel in distress to perfection. Be it rocking the dance floor alongside Vijay in the Appadi Podu number , the fear for the evil Muthupandi, or the inability to express her feelings for Saravana Velu, Trisha was good within the limited scope the movie offered her. Trisha got a small role in Maniratnam's multistarrer Aaytha Ezhuthu, where she paired with Siddharth, and their chemistry in the Hey Goodbye Nanba  and the romantic episodes were good. 

2005 and 2006 were mixed, as she began establishing herself steadily in Tollywood, playing Siri, the cute and emotional village belle in love in Nuvvostanande Nenoddantana,again with Siddharth, and later scored anothe success with Athadu where she paired with Mahesh Babu for the first time, and  though her character Poori was a typical eye candy, innocent girl role, she looked stunning in the songs. She also got the opportunity to pair with Megastar Chiranjeevi in Stalin(2006).In Tamil, Thirupachi and Unakkum Enakkum, the remake of Nuvvostanande Nenoddantana were successful and helped her retain her position as the top heroine. The rest of her films in Telugu and Tamil, namely the most expected Sainikudu, Pournami, Aadhi failed big time.

Between 2007 and 2010, Trisha's career was fluctuating, with occasional highs and numerous lows, as she began 2007 with the hit Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule, where she played Keerthy, who has to choose between her impending marriage fixed by her family, and the man she has fallen for, after initially hating him, and slowly falling for him. Trisha's portrayal won her the Filmfare Best Actress award and Nandi Award. In Tamil, Kireedam was an average outing, though she got to feature in one of her all time best duets, "Akkam Pakkam"  , and Bheema, Kuruvi too ended lackluster outings, with the expectations not being met as the lead pairs of these films had earlier delivered huge blockbusters. Abhiyum Naanum was a memorable film in her career, and though the movie was mostly a Prakashraj show, Trisha as the sensible, strong, independent and thinking Abhi made her presence felt, with her role transcended from a school girl to a girl who gets married to the man of her choice, sticking firmly to her decision, making her dad realise she's all grown up now and is free to fly, living life on her own. 

2010 gave a great start for Trisha, as she joined hands with Gautham Vasudev Menon for the first time, in Vinnaithaandi Varuvaya, a romantic entertainer costarring Simbu, where she played Jessie, a Malayali girl, who doesn't watch films, and falls in love with a filmmaker,  and has constant emotional swings, with an unsettled mind, and  oscillating between choosing what would make her happy, and what would make her parents unhappy. In simple sarees and chudidars, Trisha was drop dead gorgeous throughout , perfectly complemented by Chinmayi's voice. She got to debut in Hindi the same year, with Khatta Meetha directed by Priyadarshan who had launched her in films, and costarring Akshay Kumar, the film had her playing Gehna, a municipal commissioner, and was panned by critics, thereby ending her Bollywood journey as well. And then came her first movie with Ulaga Nayagan Kamal Haasan, Manmadhan Ambu, that had her playing an actress Ambujakshi who faces relationship issues, thanks to a suspecting boyfriend, who wants her to quit acting, doubting her of affairs with her costars, and finally finding her love. 

Teen Maar (2011) had her playing the gen next girl Meera Shastri, who gets committed to Michael, only to break up in an year for her commitments, and in her attempts to move on, realises love and what she really loves and misses. She was a part of the successful Mankatha, though her role didn't offer her scope to perform, and then followed a number of films that didn't work, and in 2013, she was a part of Endrendrum Punnagai, where she played Priya, a soft spoken girl who has to work on an ad assignment with the tough, women hating Goutham, tolerates all his tantrums and attitude, supports him, and fall for him, making him ultimately understand how bad his attitude had been hurting people around. It was a neat performance from Trisha within the limited scope that the film offered, and she looked pretty in the Enai Saaithaale  and Vaanengum numbers.  In 2014, she had made a successful debut in Kannada with Power, the official remake of Dookudu, starring Puneeth Rajkumar, and her glam in the songs was one of the high points of the movie.

Yet again, Gautham Menon came to her rescue in 2015, offering her a role in Yennai Arindhaal, and as the danseuse Hemanika, a single mother, whom cop Sathyadev falls for, and her eventually liking him as well,  with his love for her daughter  and considering her his own. A short and impactful role, and here's one scene where she gazes at Sathya as he explains the life he dreams with her, promising that he doesn't want another child, as she transcends from a smile to tears, as she admires the genuine love she has found .The same year, she starred in her milestone 50th movie, yet again with Kamal Haasan in Thoongavanam, where she played Mallika, a Narcotics control Bureau officer, and got to be a part of action sequences with Kamal himself!

2016 began with Aranmanai 2, where she sizzled playing the most glamorous role of her career, as the glam ghost,, and ended the year on a good note, displaying variety, as she got to play a grey shaded role for the first time in her career in Kodi. As Rudra,the aspiring politician caught between her ambition and her love, Trisha displayed emotions well, and looked quite menacing in the second half of the movie. After a 2 year gap, Trisha returned, this time making her Malayalam debut with Hey Jude starring Nivin pauly, and playing Crystal, the girl with bipolar disorder, who befriends Jude, who has autism, helping him improve his social skills, eliminating his fear of water, and despite her mood swings, helps him reach what he loved. Trisha's portrayal as the free spirited Crystal  who tries to help Jude, despite her own conditions won her good critical reviews and went on to be a memorable debut. And then after the Mohini debacle (her first dual role movie), came the blockbuster movie 96, that once again reiterated the fact that Trisha is still a force to reckon with, and her performance as Jaanu was one of her finest, winning her acclaim, and making many fall in love with her, again.

Right from her early days in films till date, whenever she was being written off, Trisha has been coming back with surprises, landing in exciting projects, just like she got Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya though her Chennaiyil Oru Mazhaikkaalam with the same Gautham failed to take off, or a 96 that came at the right moment, proving critics and audience how good she is as an actress, with a wide range of emotions and potential. Between a "Pesalame"  and a "Ipo onnu sollanumnu thonuthu, aana sollamaaten", the love for Trisha has only increased hugely, as she has been staying relevant, improving herself as a performer.  Besides she also maintains her looks, as during the recent Petta audio launch, Superstar Rajnikanth himself revealed an account of expressing to Trisha with surprise, "Trisha appo paathathu ipovum appadiye irukaanga!" (Trisha looks exactly as she was years before!), asking her the secret to that and Trisha attributing it to Yoga.

Of course, there were few bad and disappointing choices in the last few years, like Nayaki, Mohini, to name a few, but the resurgence post 96 is something phenomenal, so much that she made the yellow kurta become a fashion statement (due credits to Prem and costume designer Subashree) and earned lots of new fans as well. Taking a cue out of this success, Trisha must hopefully believe in the script and her character, and opt for movies irrespective of whether it is a solo heroine subject, and rather choose movies that have her play roles that attract and appeal even in the presence of other stars in the cast. 2018 must be one of the happiest years for any fan of Trisha, as she silenced critics, and made a perfect return to form, and 2019, promises too. Trisha will begin 2019 with Petta, where she's paired with none other than Superstar Rajnikanth himself in the flashback portions, a dream come true for her, and completing a circle, starring alongside all top heroes of the industry in her 16 year long career. Besides, the actress has some interesting projects like Garjanai, Sathuranga Vettai 2 in her kitty.

If there's so much love for someone, that doesn't mean there's no hater existing for them, and the same is applicable for Trisha as well. As much as she receives love from fans, she also has a category of haters, who can never criticize/ comment on her performances, but would rather find happiness in calling her a old lady, or making distasteful comments on her personal life, and posting memes/trolls on the same, thinking that as creativity. But this hatred that has grown with the rise of social media, has not stopped Trisha too, as she has marched past such online trolls and abuses, unfazed by these silly acts of people who could not find a better job. 

Having proven herself as someone who can be a natural when it comes to emoting on screen, and establishing herself as a talent that needs to be nurtured with the right roles and scripts, it is now time for our makers to offer her what she deserves, and present her in different dimensions, in unique roles, and make the love for Trisha among fans grow further. From the days of this interview when she was a few films old, to now, Trisha has come a long way - 16 years, filled with blockbusters, superhits, awards, dreams, memories, moments to cherish not just for her, but also for her fans. Hope to see more of the beautiful performer Trisha on screen in the coming years, and true to the lines of the song from her debut Lesa Lesa, "Aval Ulaga Azhagiye!" 

Could vividly remember reading the Ananda Vikatan "Aasai" section a week post the release of Saamy, and a lucky fan who had expressed his wish to take Trisha on a bike ride got that fulfilled by Vikatan team, and this fan, who was then in his teens, had a dream that night, that had him taking Trisha in her Saamy "Bhuvana" look on a bike ride. Couldn't believe 16 years have passed quick, as she still remains the same, and the crush on Trish has just increased!

Here's wishing the ever gorgeous #Trisha, who's been winning hearts, and ruling south cinema for 16 years, all success in her upcoming ventures, and hoping to witness her in exciting flicks and lovable, memorable roles, and many more years in the industry.