Ritika Singh: Special mention at NationalAwards for Irudhi Suttru

We have seen her beating opponents to the ground, one punch and audience cheered out loud in the theatre. As it is, I found myself clapping and whistling when at the end of the film ‘Irudhi Suttru’(Hindi version ‘Saala Khadoos’), Mahdi (her character name)  knocked out her opponent and  ran towards her couch. We’re talking about none other than mixed martial artist-turned-actress Ritika Singh whose performance as a boxer and as a new comer had been praised in Indian film industry.  She has received the Special Mention for her performance in director Sudha Konagara’s Irudhi Suttru at the 63rd National Awards.

S Sashikanth and C V Kumar produced Saala Khadoos where R Madhavan played a boxing coach in the film and Ritika being his partner in crime. Producer Sashikanth praised her role saying, “I am very happy that Ritika won the Special Mention. To me Ritika winning is like director Sudha Kongara winning. She represents the idea of Irudhi Suttru and this is her ‘irudhi suttru’ too. We are very proud. We can look back and she won because of Irudhi Suttru,” he told DNA.

Ritika’s role in the film was a young fisherwoman wholives in the slum, who does what she likes and speaks as she likes. Her boyish attitude and a fierce point of view and the way she transformed Mahdi’s character on screen, bags her the best achievement in life.