‘Kantara: Chapter 1’ Star Rukmini Vasanth on Rishab Shetty Collaboration, Yash’s ‘Toxic’ and NTR Jr. Team-Up: ‘The Sense of Play and the Sense of Enjoyment’ (EXCLUSIVE)

📅 Last updated: December 27, 2025

In the bustling landscape of Indian cinema, where franchises are king and star power is currency, a new kind of leading lady is quietly, but decisively, making her mark. Rukmini Vasanth is not merely riding a wave of success; she is navigating it with the precise calibration of a seasoned artist and the clear-eyed vision of a storyteller.

The Intentional Architect: Choosing Roles of Substance

Fresh from the mythic, earthy depths of Rishab Shetty’s blockbuster Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1, and poised to enter the high-octane worlds of Yash’s Toxic and Prashanth Neel’s film with NTR Jr., Vasanth represents a compelling new archetype: the actor as intentional architect, choosing roles that champion women of substance and agency.

A RADA-Trained Homecoming

For Vasanth, a graduate of the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, the journey back to Indian cinema was a conscious homecoming, armed with classical training but rooted in a desire to tell indigenous stories.

• Her breakthrough role was in Kantara: Chapter 1.
• She describes the experience as a masterclass in collaborative, passion-driven filmmaking.

The Kantara Ethos: Play, Joy, and Authenticity

Speaking exclusively about working with the visionary Rishab Shetty, Vasanth illuminates the set’s unique ethos.

“The sense of play and the sense of enjoyment were paramount. When you’re dealing with a story so deeply embedded in culture, folklore, and raw human emotion, that environment of exploration allows for authenticity to flourish. Rishab sir fosters that. There’s a rigor, but it’s married to a genuine joy for the craft and the story we are serving.”

Stepping into Pan-Indian Blockbusters

This experience has become her benchmark as she steps onto two of the most anticipated sets in pan-Indian cinema.

• Toxic (with Yash): Drawn by the strength of the character. She states, “It’s not about the scale of the project, but the scale of the woman within it.”
• Prashanth Neel’s film (with NTR Jr.): Signals her entry into gritty, mass-oriented storytelling, following a tradition of formidable women in Neel’s worlds.

Key Takeaways

• Rukmini Vasanth represents a new archetype of leading lady in Indian cinema, focused on agency and substance.
• Her classical training at RADA informs a deliberate approach to indigenous storytelling.
• The collaborative and joyful environment on Kantara set a creative benchmark for her.
• Her upcoming roles in major pan-Indian films are chosen based on the strength and narrative scale of the female character.
• She is navigating star-driven franchises by prioritizing the character’s own journey and decisiveness.