19 years of Trisha Krishnan: The undisputed queen of the South

At a time when industry was dominated by leading men, a headstrong outsider took her first steps in the Tamil film industry and went on to create a storm with her grace and onscreen aura. The moment she broke into the scene as Sandhya in Mounam Pesiyadhe, many hearts skipped a beat with one of the first few lines she spoke, “Pesalame”. And we knew a star was born and here to stay. 

She continued to prove her prowess by playing the role of Malar in Manasellam and cemented her status as a household name across Tamil Nadu. But it was Saamy in 2003, that marked the beginning of Trisha as a star in an industry when her contemporary male actors were in the prime of their careers. She didn’t take stardom for granted and carefully chose her roles with Lesa Lesa, Ghilli, Varsham and Aayutha Ezhuthu that made filmmakers in the South look beyond her glamour quotient.

Not to forget Abhiyum Nanum, Trisha carried the film on her shoulders when female-centric films were hardly a thing in the south. Her performance proved that she has grown leaps and bounds as an actor in half a decade. Then came Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya. Her portrayal of Jessie changed the tangent of her career in a meteoric manner. Holding her own against Simbu, she turned out to be the one thing people remembered the most about VTV. 

The film not only put her career back on track but showed the Tamil industry that this girl was a long-race contender. Apart from a few minor blips in her filmography, Trisha has worked hard to remain numero uno in Kollywood. She has transcended from being merely the hero’s arm candy to a bankable leading lady. 

She has wisely chosen films like VTV and 96 where no other actresses could have replaced Trisha as Jessie and Jaanu respectively. 19 years on, the actress is a perfect example of how more female stars can sustain on screen and off it by staying true to what they do and winning the goodwill of fans as well as filmmakers, time and again. Her current line — with Rangi, Ponniyin Selvan and Brinda (web series) shows that she isn’t the one to rest on laurels and will continue to entertain us for a few more decades to come.