4 min readHyderabadMar 4, 2026 06:09 PM IST Veteran actor Radikaa Sarathkumar had the audience at the Saraswathi pre-release event hanging on to every word on Sunday, not just because of what she said, but because of how she said it. Taking to the stage to mark her stepdaughter Varalaxmi Sarathkumar’s debut as a film director, Radikaa set aside the usual celebratory script and spoke instead about the years of resistance, tears, and quiet perseverance that brought this moment to life. Radikaa spoke about her husband, actor Sarathkumar, known for playing tough, unshakeable characters on screen, and said that the man who rarely shows emotion was barely holding it together as his daughter was making her debut as a director. “He is the proudest father in the world today,” she told the gathering. To illustrate just how deep that pride runs, she recalled a chance encounter at an airport where a stranger walked up and praised Varalaxmi’s work. Despite both of their own films running in theaters at the time, it was that unsolicited compliment …