Just over three decades ago, a star was sighted on the Tamil movie horizon in the form of Radha. Introduced to the Tamil audience with two films , Tik Tik Tik and Alaigal Oivathillai , Radha shot to stardom under the guidance of director Bharatiraja. For almost 20 years thereafter, she ruled the roost as a top heroine and then got married and moved to Mumbai.
Says Radha, “For quite sometime now, my fans have been expecting me to come back to films. This year, I'm renewing my ties with the Tamil film industry, but with a difference — it will be through my daughter Karthika, whose first Tamil film, the K. V. Anand-directed Ko , has just hit the screens.” Karthika has already had a Telugu film release in 2009 — Josh, which also marked the debut of another actor, Nag Chaitanya. Last year, she signed a Malayalam movie, Magaramanje , with Santosh Sivan in the lead. But her heart lies in Tamil films. A Malayali brought up in Mumbai, Karthika seems at ease with both Tamil and Malayalam. “Yes, Telugu was tough, but I managed to pull it off. Personally, I would like to be successful in Tamil, mainly because my mother excelled here and enjoys a vast fan following, even now,” says Karthika. However, with Ko 's release, does Karthika anticipate comparison with her famed mother Radha and aunt Ambika? “They are legends and I am no comparison to them. Please judge me as an actor making her Tamil film debut, purely on the strength of my performance,” says Karthika.
“Just like my mom tasted stardom thanks to Bharatiraja, I am fortunate to have a director of the calibre of K. V. Anand doing the honours. I want to live a life of respect just like my mom did during her heyday,” smiles Karthika.
