What strikes you first about Karthi are his radiant smile and effervescent charm. “I enjoy what I do, and that gives me the drive for excellence,” he says. The actor always looks to experiment with roles, and his upcoming film, Japan, directed by Raju Murugan of Joker fame, has a unique plotline too. The trailer and songs of the film have received great appreciation.
“It’s a heist thriller,” says Karthi. “Japan is not a true story, but inspired by real-life incidents. The director was a journalist before he started wielding the baton. So he incorporated his life experiences in the story.”
Sharing that he got an instant high when he read the script, Karthi says he is confident the audience will feel the same. “Japan mirrors today’s society. It is a dark comedy interspersed with many elements, including satire. The audience will understand the title after watching the film,” he adds.
“I had to undergo a makeover for my part, the actor says, adding that he’s playing the role of a thief, combining mass and comic elements, after a long time.
So far, Karthi has done 25 films. He says he always listens to the story from the audience’s point of view. “What I have learnt is that we need to show the audience something different every time they come to theatres. We have to transport them into a different world. So I make sure that I play different roles and don’t get repetitive in my story selection either. I want to keep the magic alive in my cinema,” he reveals.
Karthi acknowledges that reinventing himself with every film is challenging, but he says he enjoys it as it gives him a chance to push himself as an actor. “As human beings, we are controlled by multiple thoughts, but as an actor, one has to clear the mind when facing the camera,” he adds.
The actor, who frequently visits the city for film shooting and promotions, tells us, “I speak Telugu and also dub for my (Telugu) films, so I never feel like I am away from home when I visit Hyderabad,” says the actor in conclusion.
