Rithika was born in Mumbai.  She is an Indian actress and mixed martial artist, who predominantly appears in Tamil films and also has appeared in Hindi and Telugu films. After competing for India at the 2009 Asian Indoor Games and then participating in the Super Fight League, she played a leading role in Sudha Kongara Prasad's Tamil film Irudhi Suttru (also shot in Hindi as Saala Khadoos) alongside R. Madhavan. She won Special Mention at the 63rd National Film Awards for her performance in Irudhi Suttru.