Manish Rishi is an Indian actor, who mainly works in the Kannada film industry. He gained the limelight by playing the role of Paramesh “Parmy” in the Kannada crime comedy film Operation Alamelamma (2017).
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Manish Rishi (Rishi), originally known as Monish Nagaraj [1]YouTube – Radio City India was born on Tuesday, 21 June 1988 (age 35 years; as of 2023) in Bangalore. His zodiac sign is Gemini. Although he was born in Bangalore, he was raised in Mysore, Karnataka. He received his primary education at St. Joseph’s Primary School in Mysore and completed his Pre-University course at Marimallappa’s College. After that, he completed graduation in Civil Engineering from Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering, Mysore. [2]The Times of India He used to do theatre when he was pursuing his engineering. He took responsibility for the college’s dramatics team and simultaneously pursued work as a Radio Jockey in his free time. [3]Deccan Chronicle
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 6′ 0″
Weight (approx.): 75 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Body Measurements (approx.): Chest: 44 inches; Waist 32 inches; Biceps: 14 inches
Family
Parents & Siblings
K. C. Nagaraj, his father, was a bank employee at Kaveri Grameena Bank, while his mother, Anala Nagaraj, is a homemaker.
Manish Rishi’s parents
He has a sister, Sunethra Nagaraaj (RJ Nethra), who is a well-known Radio Jockey on Radio City 91.1 FM Bangalore City. [4]The Times of India Additionally, she made an appearance in the film 6ne Maili (2018) directed by See Ni.
Manish Rishi’s sister Sunethra Nagaraaj (RJ Nethra)
Wife & Children
He is married to Swathi Parasuraman who is a content writer by profession. The duo had a love marriage on 11 November 2019.
Manish Rishi with his wife Swathi Parasuraman
Career
Job as an Engineer
Before entering the entertainment industry, Manish Rishi got a job in a company through campus placement. He worked as an engineer in a company for a few months before stepping into the world of entertainment. Simultaneously, he was working as a Radio Jockey.
Entrepreneur
Soon after quitting his job in the corporate world, he became an entrepreneur in the retail interiors and merchandising industry. Simultaneously, he was pursuing his theatre career.
Theatre
Manish Rishi joined theatre when he was in college and pursuing engineering. he continued to work as a theatre artist till he got the opportunity to make an appearance in the TV show Mahaparva in the year 2014.
Manish Rishi during his theatre days
Television
He made his TV debut with the show Mahaparva in the year 2014 which telecasted on ETV Kannada.
Mahaparva (2014)
In 2016, he appeared in Star Suvarna show Anuroopa. His character in the show Anuroopa was highly appreciated which helped him to win the Best Actor award for consecutive two years.
Manish Rishi in Anuroopa (2016)
Film
In 2013, he made a debut as a supporting actor in the film Money Honey Shani in which he played the role of Shekar.
Money Honey Shani Poster (2013)
After that, he made cameo appearances in several films. In 2017, he made a debut as a lead actor in the film Operation Alamelamma where he played the role of Paramesh “Purmy.” His character in the film managed to gain a lot of appreciation and love from both the audience and critics. the film became a sensational hit of the year 2017 and was also released in countries like the USA, Australia, Europe, and many more. [5]Deccan Chronicle
Operation Alamelamma (2017)
His other films include Kavaludaari (2019), Sarvajanikarige Suvarnavakasha (2019), Mugilpete (2021), Nodi Swamy Ivanu Irode Heege (2022), Ramanavatara (2023), and many more.
His film Kavaludaari (2019), in which he played the role of Inspector K.S.Shyam, became a box office hit and was acclaimed by both audiences and cities. [6]The New Indian Express
Web Series
He made a debut in the Telugu web series Shaitan (2023) which aired on Disney+Hotstar.
Shaitan (2018)
Controversies
Allegations for Assaulting Aunt
In 2018, Manish Rishi was accused of assaulting his aunt, Shalini Gurumurthy, his mother’s sister over the ancestral property dispute. His aunty filed a police complaint at Basaveshwaranagar police station, accusing the actor of assaulting her and threatening to kill her over the dispute related to the property. According to sources, Shalini Gurumurthy is physically disabled and in her complaint, she specified that the actor tried to kill her by strangulation. Not only this but she also claimed that his parents were too involved in the assault. As per the reports, Gurumurthy went to Basaveshwaranagar to visit her ailing father who lives with Manish Rishi and his family. When she visited their place, Rishi tried to stop her at the entrance and brought the documents and forcefully asked her to sign before entering the house and meeting her father. She told the media that she didn’t sign any documents and wanted her father to come and ask her to sign the documents over the property dispute.
However, Manish claimed that it was just a trick by her aunt to tarnish his image in society. He refuted all the allegations and said that every story is being cooked up by her aunty for money. [7]Bangalore Mirror
Awards, Honours, Achievements
- Two Times Best Actor Award, TV Show Anuroopa, Star Suvarna Pariwar Awards
- Best Debut Actor, 7th SIIMA Award, Operation Alamelamma (2018)
Manish Rishi on receiving SIIMA Award (2018)
- Best Actor Kannada, Critics Choice Award 2020, Kavaludaari (2020)
- Best Actor Award, Kavaludaari (2022)
- Honoured by Karnataka State Reserve Police Department (2023)
Manish Rishi being honoured by Karnataka State Reserve Police Department in 2023
Favourites
- Destination: Japan
Facts/Trivia
- Rishi’s film Operation Alamelamma (2017) was originally intended to be a short film but underwent a transformation and became a full-fledged feature film. [8]The Times of India
- Before the shooting of the film Operation Alamelamma, the director Suni and Rishi were supposed to work on another film but it didn’t take off.
- Manish Rishi plays a role of a vegetable auctioneer in the film Operation Alamelamma. In an interview, he shared an incident where the director Suni woke up Rishi at 4;30 am in the morning and took him to a vegetable market near Yeshwathpur. That was the time in the morning when the auctioning of the vegetables take place. Suni wanted to give Rishi a live experience so that Rishi can play a realistic role of a vegetable auctioneer in the film. [9]The Times of India
- The film Operation Alamelamma has helped Manish Rishi to gain a lot of popularity among the audience. He shared an incident where the actor Puneeth Rajkumar recognised him from a distance because he had seen Manish in the trailer of the film and loved it.
- In an interview in 2017, Manish Rishi explained his experience of working as a theatre artist and in films. He compared both experiences and said that while doing theatre, an artist is not focused on the commercial aspect of staging a play but in the case of films, there is a box office performance that plays a major role. An actor has to perform best with each project to gain the love and confidence of all the people. [10]The Times of India
- Before joining the entertainment industry, Manish worked as an engineer for a few months. He did so because he had the idea that if he joins the entertainment industry, he won’t get the chance to get back into his engineering profession. So, he wanted to experience the corporate world before getting into the television and film industries. [11]Deccan Chronicle
- Manish describes himself as an introverted person. [12]Instagram – Rishi He had no intentions of becoming an actor until he joined the engineering college where he got the chance to explore his acting skills.
- According to Rishi, one of the most difficult characters he played the role of Shyam in the film Kavaludaari (2019) in which he hardly had any dialogue to deliver but was supposed to communicate through his facial expressions and body language. [13]Instagram – Rishi
- He is an avid traveller who has explored several international destinations.
- As per the reports, Manish met the love of his life Swathi Parasuraman during his theatre days. He had written a script a long time back which included elements from Japan. When he came to know that Swathi was from Japan, he shared his work with her. That’s when the due came close to each other. [14]The News Minute
- Since Manish is an introverted person, he doesn’t believe in sharing his personal stuff on social media. He was sceptical about telling the world about Swathi but decided to tell his followers and update them with every detail of his marriage with Swathi. [15]The News Minute
