Karthi cheers along with us!

As DC Chennai completes 11 years of successful news-gathering, entertainment updates, and breakthrough reporting, we had a rare chance to simultaneously reflect on the progress made, while also taking it forward — when actor Karthi Sivakumar dropped by at our premises to join the celebrations! It so happens that Karthi too, has completed 11 feature films and has embarked on his twelfth — the bilingual Thozha in Tamil and Oopiri in Telugu, which is winning hearts with its feel-good theme everywhere!

Thozha was a truly gratifying experience:  
I watched the original The Intouchables before I heard the narration from Vamsi.The way they depicted the characters and the relationships between two individuals, was quite nice. Ultimately it is a true story, and it has its own soul! It is a French film and you can’t completely remake it shot-by-shot. I won’t say it is a remake; Vamsi has adapted it to suit the local flavour. I was convinced by the way he recounted the story, and could not say no to him although I am reluctant to do multi-starrers. Now, with accolades pouring from all quarters, it’s been a gratifying experience.

Bond with Nagarjuna:
I had not met Nagarjuna before acting in this film, but had heard a lot about him. After watching his interviews, I had developed an affinity towards him. I felt thrilled when I came to know that we were sharing the screen. Both as a star and as a person; he is very soft-spoken yet frank. Interestingly, the bond between us grew strong in just a short duration. In fact, Nag sir said, ‘Let us shoot the first scene where we meet!’ — and so we met on the spot as we were shooting. (laughs)

I felt Oopiri was my debut film:
Oopiri is my first straight Tollywood film — and as an actor, I took it as a challenge to work in a language that I am not very familiar with.  I felt as if it was my first film.

Managing dubbing in Telugu:
That was the easy part! You can dub word-by-word. I can’t imagine how appa (Sivakumar) managed when they were dubbing in the loop system. Even if a small mistake occurs, you have to start from the beginning of the reel. (shrugs) I don’t think we are cut out for it!

Suriya fears committing mistakes:
My brother, Suriya is scared to commit gaffes and is more self-conscious, whereas I am not really worked up and I speak without any inhibition. I feel it is more important to communicate than be grammatically correct! Even Gandhiji said that communication is important (smiles).

Working with hit co-star Tamannaah:
She has matured a lot as an actress, and now knows how to strike a fine balance between being methodical and spontaneous. We get along very well.

Nadigar Sangam opened me up as a person:
Earlier, I used to reach home by 8 pm and now it is extended to 10.30 pm! (laughs) My daughter Umayaal is asleep by the time I reach, and I do feel bad about that. But, I think we are able to do something good. These responsibilities were not anticipated — it just happened. When you are in an influential position, you can make a decision. We have announced pensions for people who are above 70 years, and we want to provide them insurance as well.

Only in cinema, there’s no fall-back plan after people cross 60 — one cannot even work as a junior artiste. When I was an assistant director, I used to ask the agents why they brought aged people for scenes with big crowds. I was naïve and inexperienced then — now, I realise how difficult an actor’s life is. Nadigar Sangam has opened me up as a person.

No political interest:
Managing 3,000 odd members in Nadigar Sangam itself is difficult, I wonder how politicians are running parties, when all individuals have varied interests. It’s really tough, so no politics for me!

Directing films:
I love the process of filmmaking. I understood that you have to be a writer, in order to be a director. Writing is not my forte, but I am good at visualising. When I was assisting Mani Ratnam sir, he told me that I had to be a writer-director. Upon his advice, I started reading books and short stories to understand how they use words to create an impact.

When he was about to go on a long vacation, before leaving he said, “If you get a chance to act, please don’t let the opportunity go.” Even appa said the same thing. There’s no age limit for directing a film. As you grow older, you mature. But you can’t  appear as a hero on-screen forever! That’s how acting happened. When I was working for my debut Parutthiveeran with Ameer sir, as a hero you are privileged to ask a hundred questions. But others cannot! So I took at it as another opportunity to learn directing.

I am still a learner:
As of now I am enjoying what I do. and I learn something new on the sets every day. While choosing the right script is important, achieving it onscreen is imperative. Now, I am in a position where I don’t have to take up any film I’m not comfortable with.

Comparisons with Suriya:
I think it has stopped, except for when fans ask me to sport a six-pack! By now, people have understood that I am a different person.

Brothers coming together:
We want to do something. Not as brothers, but in contrasting characters.  

Unquestionable respect for Mani:
I always feel jealous when Kamal Haasan talks about his mentor, K Balachander or when Bala sir talks about Balu Mahendra. That’s the kind of bond I want to share with Mani sir one day! I wish I’d spent more time with him, as an assistant. But now that I’m finally getting to act under his direction — it’s almost like my career’s coming full circle of sorts!

Being a dad:
Your entire world revolves around your kid, especially when you are a dad to a girl child. Your responsibilities become more. The kind of joy you get when you see them is unique, and one has to experience it to understand. I have also become protective of her, automatically!

What irritates him most:
I am a big foodie. So, dieting really puts me off!

Being a star or actor:
I like being an actor as well as a star. My first film made me a star — I felt it personally. I enjoy being called one too. I am not saying it with pride, but I’m happy that I’m able to pull off both avatars successfully.

Bollywood dreams:
(Without hesitation) Not at all!

Actors he admires:
As an actor, I aspire to emulate something like Mohanlal sir’s performance. It is something I would like to achieve. I also think my combination with Vadivelu sir would be fantastic!

Keen to take on the role of a farmer:
I am very keen to do a film on farmers, which has not been done so far. But, it should be entertaining.

A remake for Karthi:
Madarasapattinam! I was never offered the role but Arya did it so well. That character had a lot of shades, which I deeply admire from a performer’s perspective.

A sequel to Siruthai:
I enjoyed the film. It worked very well for me. It had a Rush Hour-kind of content, which has immense scope for a sequel. You never know!

Leisure and hobbies:
I am a huge wildlife enthusiast and regularly go trekking all over south India.

Not on social media:
Why should you keep talking about what you are doing 24 hours a day? When you want to clarify something, social media is useful. But in my case, I don’t have anything interesting to share at all!

Striking a balance:
My films are mostly commercial, but I want to get out of my comfort zone and make different films. Some want me to do flicks like Paruthiveeran, and others expect that I should do another Paiyaa or Siruthai, but I have always been keen to strike a balance.

(With inputs from S Subhakeerthana)