Radhika Kumaraswamy, credited as Radhika and as Kutty Radhika in Tamil films, is an Indian actress. She has primarily appeared in Kannada films.
Born in Tulu speaking family, Radhika reportedly married Ratan Kumar at the Sri Durga Parameshwari Temple, Kateel on 26 November 2000.
Radhika started her acting career with the Kannada film Neela Megha Shama (2002) when she had just completed her ninth class. Her first release was Ninagagi, opposite Vijay Raghavendra, which was followed by Tavarige Baa Tangi, starring Shivrajkumar; both films were highly successful ventures. In 2003, she appeared in five Kannada films, including Hemanth Hegde’s directorial debut Ooh La La; Hudugigaagi, alongside S. P. B. Charan; Yograj Bhat’s maiden feature film Mani, in which she played the daughter of a prostitute. In spite of the film’s poor box office returns, Radhika’s performance as Gowri in Tayi Illada Tabbali won her the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress.
Three of her four releases in 2005—Rishi, Masala and Auto Shankar—featured her alongside another lead female character. Again in 2005 she appeared in Anna Thangi collaborating with the Tavarige Baa Tangi team, Shivrajkumar and Radhika again playing the elder brother and younger sister roles, respectively.
The following year, she was again seen in five Kannada films and one Tamil film Ulla Kadathal, that remains her last Tamil release. After the long-delayed devotional film Navashakthi Vaibhava (2008), that featured her as a goddess alongside eight other lead actresses she went on a 5-year hiatus.
Radhika has also worked as a film distributor and producer. She has acquired the distribution rights of her own film Anatharu (2007), co-starring Upendra and Darshan. In 2008, she bought the rights of her film Ishwar, which was launched in 2007 as Narasimha, and revived it, although she was unsuccessful in releasing it. She later established a production studio named Shamika Enterprises, named after her daughter, and produced the film Lucky, starring Ramya and Yash.
In 2013, she made a comeback to acting with Sweety Nanna Jodi which she also produced. With regards to her performance, Sify stated: “Radhika…is a treat to watch and has given a brilliant performance” while Rediff wrote: “Radhika looks ravishing and comes as a surprise for those who have watched her earlier films”. Her Telugu mythological film Avataram, by Kodi Ramakrishna released in 2014.
