[1][2] Ravi began his professional career as a sound engineer and when the company closed down, he joined a drama troupe.
Soon after, Ravi was given the stage name of Ravikanth and made his acting debut in Balachander's Manathil Uruthi Vendum (1987).
[3][4] During the period, he also shot for a supporting role in Apoorva Sagodharargal (1989) but his portions were cut owing to the film's length.
[3] Ravikanth later moved on to work on television serials, regularly collaborating on K. Balachander's productions including Sahana and Solathan Ninaikiraen.
In Venkat Prabhu's comedy drama Goa, Ravikanth portrayed eleven different characters and labelled the film as his "big break".