Making waves

February 05, 2010 07:19 pm | Updated February 08, 2010 04:35 pm IST

Actor Karthi Sivakumar at his residence in Chennai on Sept 20,2007. Photo:R,Ragu

Actor Karthi Sivakumar at his residence in Chennai on Sept 20,2007. Photo:R,Ragu

If you have had enough of Karthi Sivakumar’s dishevelled appearances on screen, then get ready to watch him play a city youth in the soon-to-be-released ‘Paiyya.’

Afterall, Karthi too yearns to look handsome on the silver screen. “why not, especially after two films with unkempt look?” he chuckles.

‘Paiyya’ is directed by Lingusamy and Tamanna plays the female lead. “It is a youthful subject,” the young hero informs.

Feeling proud to have acted in the magnum opus ‘Aayirathil Oruvan,’ Karthi admits the amount of homework he did for the film. “I had learnt ‘silambam’ for my earlier flick ‘Paruthiveeran’ and it came in handy.

There were certain scenes in the film which I had to really work hard on. I am happy that my efforts have reaped rich rewards.”

Working with two renowned directors – Ameer (‘Paruthiveeran’) and Selvaraghavan (‘Aayirathil Oruvan’) – according to Karthi, is an experience to be cherished forever. “I spent almost five years for the two films. But I got to learn a lot and the time spent was certainly worth it.”

On a lookout for an industry that would give liberate his creative instincts, Karthi found cinema to be the best. The scope for creativity in film direction spurred him to join as Mani Ratnam’s assistant.

However, when an offer to play the lead role in the film ‘Paruthiveeran’ came from Ameer, Karthi sought advice from his actor-dad Sivakumar. “My father said that age matters for playing a hero but it is not the case when it comes to direction. His words convinced me and I immediately took up the acting offer,” he recalls.

So, will he wield the megaphone in the near future? “No. I am on a learning phase and there is still a lot of distance left to be travelled. At present I am busy with my acting commitments and thoroughly enjoying it.”

Karthi had to make some sacrifices after getting into the film industry. The first was food. “I love to taste varied range of food. But not any more. To be fit there is a need to follow a strict diet. It was a bit difficult earlier, but now I am used to it,” he smiles.

A travel buff, Karthi says that after getting into the film industry he has been touring a lot. “Travelling has been my big passion. During my student days in the U.S, I used to travel a lot with friends during weekends. You get to know many things and also there is a chance to meet people,” adds Karthi, who did his Master’s in Industrial Engineering from the State University of New York.

Karthi loves spending time with his family. Although his busy schedules have largely cut his time spent at home, he makes it a point to be at home, when free. “I simply enjoy dining with my family. Playing with my niece Diya is another thing I love doing,” he shares.

The young actor says that he draws a lot of inspiration from his brother Surya. “I have seen the amount of hard work Surya puts in for each film and it motivates me. He gives his best to do full justice to the roles he dons.”

On the feedback from his father and brother, he quips: “My father is absolutely fine with my progress. He felt that I was lucky to have been part of ‘Aayirathil Ooruvan,’ because not many actors get a chance to act in such films so early in their careers. My brother too shared the same opinion.”

Are there plans of sharing the screen space with Surya? “I would love to work with him, no doubt. But it all depends on the script. Let’s see,” he grins.

Enjoying the adulation and fan following, Karthi says that he is careful while choosing the script. “Nothing can match the love and affection showered by the fans. After all, who doesn’t like to be loved?”

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