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Things are looking up for the ‘cool dude’ of Tamil cinema.
The guy with suave NRI looks who innocently asked Shalini — Na ok va, ok illai ya —in Mani Ratnam’s Alaipayuthe has come of age with his latest release Ninaithaley Inikum. Despite rubbing shoulders with actors like Prithviraj and Shakthi, Karthik Kumar has managed to establish an identity of his own, portraying the role of an angry and fiery college student with audacity and arrogance.
“I don’t want to be a star,” starts off Karthik Kumar. “Acting is my forte and Ninaithale Inikkum helped me transform from a chamathu boy to a character with grey shades. It proved to the audience that I can pull off negative roles too,” beams the actor.
“And guess what?” he asks like an enthusiastic kid. “People say that I have the talent to be the next Raghuvaran. He was one actor who had the opportunity to perform a variety of roles in his career. I want to be like him. Let the commercial heroes do all the singing and dancing. I am happy with my roles and I don’t want to be a mass hero. I think it’s a waste of time, because the scope for experimentation as an actor reduces,” explains Karthik.
The actor surely seems to be on a roll with diverse roles in his kitty. He is currently shooting for a rip-roaring comedy, Kola Kolaya Mundhirikka, and the psychological thriller, Yedhuvum Nadakkum. “In KKM, I play a petty thief who is on a treasure-hunt. There are a whole bunch of crooks trying to get hold of the treasure.Debutante Shika plays my partner-in-crime. In Yedhuvum Nadakkum, there are just two characters — myself and Aparna Nair. It’s an interesting project and I play a psycho in the film.”
There is a surprise in store for the audience in KKM. Wondering what? Well, this typical American maaplai guy actually shook a leg for a kuthu number. “Hard to believe, isn’t it?” he chuckles. “I did some heavy kuthu in KKM. We shot in a kuppam on ECR and the ambience was just perfect. Dancing doesn’t come easily to me. It was a challenge to prove myself and live up to my choreographer’s expectations,” he recalls.
Quiz Karthik about his definition of mainstream and art films and he replies pat, “Cinema is like walking a tightrope. A good actor should realise that cinema is a business, as well as an art. A good artiste is one who balances both efficiently. I think Kamal Haasan, Suriya and Prakash Raj are doing this job pretty well.”
And that may be the reason that even Karthik is juggling between theatre and cinema. “Theatre keeps your mind fresh. In theatre, you have to satisfy the audience, while in films, you adhere to the director’s vision. It’s all about striking a balance. I am happy with what I am and I want to die this way — as a middle-class man.”
sangeetha.p@timesgroup.com
Bloggers Note: I met Kartik today i.e 31.10.2009 at Baddi in Himachal Pradesh. Chatted with him on way to Chandigarh. A really pleasing personality and a great friendly down to earth attitude. Wishing him all the best for his career as an actor. Hope I can meet him again sometime in the future too…
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