Ananthika

Ananthika Sanilkumar has quietly built a reputation as one of the more natural young actresses working across Telugu and Tamil cinema. The Kerala-born performer, who first drew attention with *MAD* (2023) and later earned stronger notices for *8 Vasantalu* (2025), is now in the spotlight with her newest release, *Romanchakam*. The romantic comedy, which hit theatres on 3 September 2026, pairs her with Sumanth Prabhas and comes with the backing of Sandeep Reddy Vanga as presenter, giving the project extra industry attention. *Romanchakam*, directed by Venu Gopal Reddy, is a light romantic entertainer built around young love, humour and everyday energy. Ananthika has described her character as bubbly and relatable, a shift from the more intense or poetic roles she has played earlier. Early audience reactions have been mixed, with praise for the chemistry and comic moments sitting alongside criticism of the writing. Still, the film marks her most visible Tollywood outing yet and keeps her name in current conversation. Before this, her strongest critical response came from *8 Vasantalu* (also titled *8 Vasanthalu*), released in June 2025. Directed by Phanindra Narsetti and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, the film cast her as Shuddhi Ayodhya, a writer who also practises martial arts. The story follows her life across eight years. Even though the film did not become a major box-office success, Ananthika’s performance was widely appreciated for its sincerity and range. In 2026 she also appeared in the Tamil ensemble *Parimala and Co*, directed by Pandiraj and released on 5 June. Sharing screen space with Jayaram, Urvashi and others, she played Madhumitha in a dark-comedy family drama that has since moved to streaming. Earlier credits include *Raid* (Tamil, 2023), *Lal Salaam* (Tamil, 2024) and her Telugu debut *Rajahmundry Rose Milk* (2022). The mix of languages has helped her stay visible in both industries. Ananthika has said she is in talks for new projects in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam, without confirming rumours such as a pairing opposite Devi Sri Prasad in *Yellamma*. At this stage her career is still in the “one big hit away” phase, but *Romanchakam* and the goodwill from *8 Vasantalu* have made her one of the young actresses Tollywood is watching closely.