Everyone dreams of that one opportunity that propels one’s career into the dreamy ascending curve. While some succeed in capitalizing on it, some unintentionally mess it up. As you might’ve guessed, this is a tale of a celebrity that did the latter. Keerthy Suresh, a bubbly actress of mixed ethnicity (Malayalam-speaking father and Tamil-speaking mother), has had the privilege to get a good launch into the show biz, thanks to her father, Suresh Kumar, a notable producer in Malayalam cinema, and her mother, Menaka, a prominent actress of the 80s.

While Keerthy’s acting career has had a good start, it took her a five-year-long phase to find a project that propelled her into a star. In other words, to find that ‘one’ big opportunity. Mahanati (2018). Written and directed by Nag Ashwin, this is a biographical drama film that narrates the story of Savithri, a legendary actress during the 50s and 60s. Released amidst minimal-to-no expectations, the film received rave reviews from audiences and critics with high praise for Suresh’s performance. Capitalizing on this, the film emerged as a major commercial success at the box office. At the 66th National Film Awards, she bagged the enviable ‘Best Actress’ accolade.

You can’t expect anything more, Destiny, can you? The film was so well-received that Keerthy was touted to be the next Sridevi of Indian cinema. And you know what? She totally deserved it! But, unfortunately, this star kid has failed to exploit this superstardom she never asked for. The simple reason behind this is her poor script selection. Yes, right from losing her much-loved bubbly looks, the actor went on to sign over a dozen lackluster films.

Beginning with the Vikram-starrer Saamy Square (2018), Keerthy went on to appear in A. R. Murugadoss’s political drama Sarkar (2018), Sandakozhi 2 (2018), Penguin (2020), Miss India (2020), Range De (2021), Annaatthe (2021), Good Luck Sakhi (2021), Sarakaru Vaari Paata (2021), Bhola Shankar (2023), and the most recent Baby John (2024). This set of films was not only commercial failures but also ruined the unparalleled reputation she had earned from Mahanati. What’s pathetic is this was more than enough to ruin Keerthy’s career, which had incredible potential.

Keerthy Suresh is a pitch-perfect example of a celebrity who ruined a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with their very hands. Now that she’s newly married to her longtime boyfriend, the least we can do is wish her a happy marital life. In spite of her failed acting career, she’ll be remembered for her exceptional performance as Savithri Ganesan.