As a Tamilian girl, Rathi was born in Bangalore, Karnataka to Tamil people Arumugam and Bharani.
She was a student of dentistry at the Mathrushri Ramabai Ambedkar Dental College and Hospital in Bangalore.
She appeared in a couple more Tamil films, including Adi Thadi starring Sathyaraj, but none of them were commercially successful.
She had also performed an item number in the Tamil film Anjaneya featuring Ajith Kumar in the lead role.
[citation needed] In 2003, Rathi created a sensation when she appeared on stage as a special guest in the 'Euphoria 03' event at the PSG College of Arts and Science.