Sai Karthik, a Coimbatore-based short filmmaker, is already popular among Tamil viewers for the single Puriyala Puriyala. The song was directed by him, and has been playing every day on popular Tamil music channels. Karthik has also acted in the song, which is a part of his upcoming short film Bucks.
Composed by Karthik Harsha and written by Nirmal, the song is about money and how it affects relationships. “I sent the song to the channel — but didn’t think it would get shortlisted from the hundreds of songs sent to them!” Karthik says.
However, recognition is not a new thing for him, since he has already won international awards for his portrayal of a transgender person in the short film 3G, directed by Arjun Patel. “Playing a transgender person was really challenging and was well received in many film festivals. The film also won a Special Jury Mention Award from a California-based organisation,” he grins.
Though the song put him in the limelight, becoming an actor is the priority for Karthik. “Acting has been my major interest, since I was a child. Even during college, I was the overall champion of cultural events. I direct films just because I want to share some of my thoughts, but becoming an actor is my aspiration,” quips Karthik.
The 32-year-old is already working on another short film, titled Epavume Ipadithaan. Based on a real-life incident, this film by Karthik is about mentally diasabled individuals, and how the society today treats them.
