Mother's Day Special | We complete each other, say Radikaa Sarathkumar, Rayane Mithun

CHENNAI: Perhaps the greatest roles aren’t played on set, but in the unscripted beauty of everyday love. As the world celebrates Mothers Day today, veteran actor-producer Radikaa Sarathkumar, and her daughter Rayane Mithun, embrace their deep connection, which goes beyond the arc lights and silver screens.

There is a slight tremble in Radikaa’s voice as she recalls raising Rayane as a single mother during what she describes as ‘the toughest period of her life.’ The societal stigma against single mothers in the 90s was crushing, but one crystalline moment gave her strength. “I was at my absolute lowest, sitting by her crib weeping, when this tiny hand grasped my finger and she gave me that dazzling smile. That smile pulled me back from the edge.”

Rayane’s earliest memories are coloured by her mother’s determination to fill the void left by absence. “My mother was a single parent when I was young. But I never felt like I was missing out on something. She ensured that.”

One such moment still remains etched in Rayane’s heart. In grade one, she was cast as a cherry tree in a school dance, tucked in the back. Around the same time, Radikaa had broken her leg on a film set. “She was in pain, and honestly, she didn’t have to come.” But Radikaa insisted. The auditorium had no lift, so Rayane’s uncle carried her mother up three flights of stairs just so she could watch her daughter perform. “That’s when I understood what love really looks like. It’s showing up, even when it’s hard,” Rayane says.

Radikaa has sort of consciously broken from her own mother’s strict parenting ways. “I am very close to my mother. But I have a different relationship with her because she was a tough person who pushed ambition. With Rayane, I never forced her path, but said ‘Always equip yourself for life’. I fostered friendship. I wanted her to feel heard in ways I wasn’t. Even when I remarried, Rayane’s security was my first thought.”

Rayane, who is now a mother of two, embraces this very philosophy with her own children. “Mom taught me that all emotions are welcome, but not all behaviors are acceptable. When she had to parent, she parented. Now? She’s my best friend.”

Their shared love for travel has often become the canvas for their bond. “I used to take Rayane everywhere I went. Even film sets. That’s when I truly took control of my life.” Radikaa shares. “We’re those people with colour-coded itineraries, unlike my husband and father who prefer spontaneity,” Rayane adds.

From meticulously planned itineraries to fulfilling a shared dream inspired by watching Notting Hill for years, they recently fulfilled a bucket-list stay at the Ritz Paris. “That was our cinematic dream come true. We’ll watch something and immediately say ‘We have to go there’! It’s about sharing the excitement, not just the destination,” Rayane shares.

As the head of digital media for Radaan Media Works India Ltd – her mother’s production house, Rayane navigates a unique dual role. “She respects what it took to build this,” Radikaa notes.

“Mum has decades of experience; I bring fresh ideas. We argue, but we’re always on the same team. But if she asks for something, you respond immediately,” Rayane shares with a chuckle.

Despite Radikaa’s decade long career, she never pressured Rayane to join the industry. “If you’ve seen the inside of this world, you’d hesitate to bring your children into it. But destiny had its own plans,” Rayane admits.

For them, Mothers Day isn’t a milestone, but a reflection of their everyday connection. “We say ‘I love you’ daily. She completes me in many ways,” Radikaa shares.

And as Rayane puts it, “She’s my mother, my friend, and my hero. And that’s something no spotlight can ever capture.”