- Rukmini Vasanth stars as Mellisa in Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups releasing August 26
- Her father, Colonel Vasanth Venugopal, died in the 2007 Uri mission and received Ashoka Chakra
- Rukmini studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, London, before debuting in Kannada films
Rukmini Vasanth is gearing up to be seen in Geetu Mohandas's Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups. The film, which is releasing this Wednesday, August 26, will see the actor stepping into the role of Mellisa in the Yash-led action thriller. This marks another high-profile project for her after the success of Kantara: Chapter 1.
Rukmini Vasanth Lost Her Father In The 2007 Uri Mission
Rukmini is the daughter of Colonel Vasanth Venugopal, who served as the Commanding Officer of the 9 Maratha Light Infantry. He was killed in action in Uri in 2007 while preventing armed infiltrators from crossing the India-Pakistan border. He was later posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra for his bravery and became Karnataka's first recipient of the country's highest peacetime military decoration.
Rukmini was a child when her father died. Opening up about the loss and its impact on her life, she said, "It left a lasting impact on me because I was a child when we lost our father. At that point, to see my mother, whose life has been completely rocked and changed, take her raw pain and find a way to channel that to other people, to find a way to spread the immense privilege that reached our family, to find a way to disperse to people who don't have access was moving to me. It instilled a strong sense of philanthropy, of taking your pain and making it productive."
Her mother, Subhashini Vasanth, is a Bharatanatyam dancer, who went on to establish the Veer Ratna Foundation, which works towards supporting war widows and families of martyrs. Rukmini and her sister Yeshodha have also been part of the foundation's initiatives.
Choosing Acting As A Profession
Despite growing up in an Army family, Rukmini eventually chose acting as her profession. She studied at Army School, Air Force School and Centre for Learning in Bengaluru before pursuing acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.
Her first film opportunity came only after a gruelling four hour audition. She made her Kannada film debut with Birbal Trilogy Case 1: Finding Vajramuni in 2019. Her breakthrough came with the two-part romantic drama Sapta Saagaradaache Ello, where she played Priya opposite Rakshit Shetty. The performances earned her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress - Kannada.
Rukmini subsequently appeared in films including Baanadariyalli, Bagheera and Bhairathi Ranagal. She then made her Telugu debut with Appudo Ippudo Eppudo and later appearing in Tamil films such as Ace and Madharaasi.
However, it was Kantara: Chapter 1 that brought her to a much wider audience. In the Rishab Shetty-led period epic, Rukmini played Kanakavathi. The film went on to become the biggest commercial success of her career, while her performance received appreciation.
Rukmini in Kantara Chapter 1.
Interestingly, Rukmini has described Kanakavathi as a character very different from herself. She also called her experience of working with Rishab Shetty "eye-opening".
Rukmini As Mellisa In Toxic
Now, she is moving into another ambitious project with Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups. The film, directed by Geetu Mohandas and headlined by Yash, features Rukmini as Mellisa. The makers unveiled her first look as the fifth leading lady in the film, showing her in a glamorous avatar in a dark green gown.
Yash introduced her character on social media, writing, "Introducing Rukmini Vasanth @rukminitweets as MELLISA in - A Toxic Fairy Tale For Grown-Ups."
Rukmini expressed her excitement about joining the film, writing, "An absolute dream to be part of #Toxic. Grateful for this journey and the vision behind it (teary-eyed and folded hands emojis)."
Director Geetu Mohandas also spoke about the actor's approach to her craft, saying, "She doesn't just perform, she processes. She asks questions not out of doubt, but out of curiosity. It pushed me to think deeper... she's constantly building her own inner world. I find her approach incredibly thoughtful."
For Rukmini, the attention that comes with her growing film career also carries a responsibility beyond cinema. Reflecting on how she views that responsibility, she said, "Often times, we have to use the attention and eyes on us to channel it to something professionally, but I do feel some sort of responsibility towards the foundation and directing attention to other important causes. We need to change the spotlight around and spotlight other different issues as well."
