Karthik Sivakumar
Encyclopedia
Karthi is an Indian film actor, who works in the Tamil film industry
. His father is Sivakumar
, also a film actor. Karthi gained a Bachelor's degree
in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's degree in Industrial Engineering in the United States. Since he had always wanted to become a film director, he returned to India and joined Mani Ratnam
as an assistant director. He was offered acting roles and made his acting debut in Paruthiveeran
in 2007 as the titular character, a careless village rowdy, winning critical acclaim and several accolades including the Filmfare Award for Best Actor and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award. His next role was that of a coolie
in Aayirathil Oruvan (2010), a fantasy-adventure film directed by Selvaraghavan
. He achieved consecutive commercial successes with his subsequent releases – Paiyaa (2010), Naan Mahaan Alla (2010) and Siruthai (2011), which established him in the Tamil film industry. He became popular in Andhra Pradesh
after three of his Tamil films were dubbed into Telugu
and became equally successful.
Apart from his film career, Karthi has also been involved in social welfare activities, encouraging fans to do likewise through the "Makkal Nala Mandram", a social welfare club that he inaugurated. In 2011, he became the cause ambassador for Lysosomal Storage Disease
to increase awareness of the disease.
, Tamil Nadu
, India. He was educated at Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan
, and later at St. Bede's Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School
, Chennai. He gained a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from the Crescent Engineering College
, Chennai. After graduating, he worked as an Engineering consultant in Chennai and considered higher studies abroad. "I was earning about 5000, per month and found the work monotonous. That was when I thought, I should do something more", he recalls. Karthi got a scholarship
for his higher studies in the United States, and enrolled at Binghamton University
, New York, where he earned his Masters of Science in Industrial Engineering. While pursuing his masters, he also attended lectures on filmmaking
.
He worked part–time as a graphic designer
in New York for a short period, then decided to pursue a career in film–making. He attended two courses in basic film–making at State University of New York
before entering films. He stated, "I always knew I wanted to be in films but I did not know exactly what I wanted to do. I loved movies and watched a lot of them. But my father insisted that I get a good education before I joined the film industry".
, who offered him the role of Arjun (later played by Siddharth
) in the film Aayutha Ezhuthu. Karthi declined the offer and worked as an assistant director on the same film and its Hindi version Yuva
because he wanted to become a film director and preferred directing to acting. Karthi continued to receive acting offers and his father convinced him to take up acting, telling him " ... one can always direct films but one will not get a chance to act once you grow older". Karthi accepted his first acting assignment in April 2005. Ameer Sultan
approached him to play the titular character in the film Paruthiveeran
and Karthi accepted the offer because the film was " ... so compelling". The film was released in July 2005 and experienced financial difficulties, and was almost abandoned by mid–2006. It was released in January 2007, opened to critical acclaim and became commercially successful.
Critics unanimously praised Karthi's portrayal of a careless village rowdy. Behindwoods said: "He has done away with every trace of sophistication in his body language and even handles the sickle with consummate ease. He looks every inch a hot blooded youngster from some rural part of Tamil Nadu [and] appears seasoned in the romantic scenes ... Uninformed people might not believe that this is the young man’s big screen debut. Look out for this guy ... ". Sify
said: "It’s hard to believe that it is Karthi’s debut film as he is just spectacular. His expressions, anger, laughter and anguish are all so realistic that you can feel the fire in him." Rediff called his performance "excellent", and " ... one of the top performances of 2007". Karthi received several accolades for his performance, including the Filmfare Award for Best Actor in Tamil.
's direction, Idhu Maalai Nerathu Mayakkam, which was supposed to be a romance film, featuring Sandhya
as the female lead. Karthi's character was a " ... sophisticated upmarket stylish guy ... ". Selvaraghavan abandoned that project and in July 2007, he announced the production of a fantasy adventure called Aayirathil Oruvan with Karthi in the lead role. Filming began later that year and was expected to be completed by February 2008. The producers planned to release it in mid-2008, but production was delayed and filming continued until early 2009. Karthi had agreed to play the lead character in Linguswamy
's next film, Paiyaa, in September 2007. Because of the slow progress of Aayirathil Oruvan, Paiyaa was postponed several times. Karthi later said that he became anxious because he received several film offers but could not work on them because he needed to maintain the continuity of his looks. He said he was " ... dying to start shooting for Paiyaa " and to " ... wear good clothes ... ". During the filming of Aayirathil Oruvan, producer Ravindran complained that Karthi was trying to change his look and move on to Paiyaa before finishing his commitments.
Aayirathil Oruvan was released in early 2010. Karthi's portrayal of a chief coolie was often compared to that in his debut film. Sify called Karthi's performance " ... a scream.", and said, "Right from his introduction scene till the end, he is lovable and provides humour.", and that he had " ... made a sensational comeback ... ".
In April 2010, Linguswamy's Paiyaa released. A romantic road–trip film, featuring a "...blockbuster album
" by Yuvan Shankar Raja
, it was very successful. For the first time, Karthi enacted a character that lives in an urban area. Karthi said that he accepted the film because he " ... desperately wanted to play a cool dude on screen". Karthi's performances in Aayirathil Oruvan and Paiyaa earned him further nominations at the 58th Filmfare Awards South
in the Best Actor category. Both films were dubbed into Telugu
as Yuganiki Okkadu and Aawara, respectively, and were successful.
Karthi's third 2010 film was Suseenthiran's thriller Naan Mahaan Alla, in which he played a middle class young person from Chennai whose life is disrupted when his father is killed. It received good reviews, was very popular, and Karthi's performances was praised by critics. Sreedhar Pillai of Sify wrote: "[Karthi] nails the character to perfection" ... He is one good reason to see the film." Bhama Devi Ravi of Times of India wrote: " ... what a pleasure to see Karthi deliver his best performance to date ... ". Rediff wrote that "Karthi has simply had a ball ... " and "It's been a long time since you saw an actor who can be as convincing in sadness and rage, as in happiness." Naan Mahaan Alla was dubbed into Telugu and released as Naa Peru Shiva in 2011; it was very successful and earned Karthi some Telugu film offers.
Karthi's next film was the action–masala film
Siruthai (2011), a remake of the 2006 Telugu film Vikramarkudu
. Karthi played two roles; a thief and a police officer. Karthi's performances received favorable reviews. Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu
wrote: "Karthi looks and performs better with every film. Siruthai exemplifies the observation". Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff wrote: "But the film belongs to Rocket Raja (Karthi), the sort of adorable ruffian Tamil cinema has been missing for a while. He picks pockets, slices off handbags, charms women and even bashes (!) them up without a single jolt to his conscience." Despite gaining mixed critical response, the film achieved financial success, becoming one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of 2011. In 2011, Siruthai became Karthi's biggest commercial success, cementing his position in the Tamil film industry. Sify said that Karthi had become " ... one of the hottest stars in Kollywood
". Karthi made a special appearance in a song in K. V. Anand
's Ko
(2011), alongside other prominent actors from Tamil cinema.
In May 2011, Karthi began working on a film titled Saguni
, directed by Shankar Dayal. Saguni is a mass masala film that " ... has striking similarity to Siruthai ... ". Furthermore he is simultaneously shooting for a untitled film, opposite Anushka Shetty
under the direction of Suraj
.
and his wife Lakshmi. Sivakumar is a veteran Tamil actor who has appeared in approximately 200 films. Karthi has two siblings; an elder brother, Suriya, also a leading actor in the Tamil film industry, and a younger sister named Brindha. Former leading Tamil film actress, Jyothika Sadanah
is Karthi's sister–in–law. On 3 July 2011, Karthi married Ranjani Chinnasamy, who graduated with a Masters degree in English literature from Stella Maris College, Chennai. Karthi and Ranjini were engaged on 29 April 2011 at Ranjani's native village, Goundampalayam in Erode District, and the wedding was held at the CODISSIA trade fair complex in Coimbatore
. The wedding was arranged
by the elders of the family.
affected children. In 2011, Karthi became the cause ambassador for Lysosomal Storage Disease
to help spread awareness of the disease. He had also adopted a white tiger
cub at Vandalur Zoo and contributed 72,000 to protect and preserve the animal. On his birthdays, Karthi has visited orphanages and donates funds to them. He told Indiaglitz; "When I see people in need, I make sure I go and help. If I am going on birthdays to reach out to kids in orphanages, it is for my own satisfaction. I feel happier to be with them and it's nice to make them smile on that particular day." Karthi has said that he was impressed and inspired by his father and brother's activities, all well known for their charity works. On September 2010, Karthi signed a contract with Bharti Airtel
to become its brand ambassador in South India and appear in its "Indraikku enna plan" advertising campaign.
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
. His father is Sivakumar
Sivakumar
Sivakumar is a Tamil cinema actor who has portrayed a wide range of character roles onscreen. Sivakumar was introduced in the Tamil movie Kaakum karangal which was produced by AVM Productions....
, also a film actor. Karthi gained a Bachelor's degree
Bachelor of Engineering
The Bachelor of Engineering is an undergraduate academic degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying engineering at universities in Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland , Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Korea,...
in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's degree in Industrial Engineering in the United States. Since he had always wanted to become a film director, he returned to India and joined Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and producer. He made his directorial debut with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi starring Anil Kapoor in 1983...
as an assistant director. He was offered acting roles and made his acting debut in Paruthiveeran
Paruthiveeran
Paruthiveeran is a 2007 Indian Tamil film written and directed by Ameer Sultan. The film stars Karthi in his feature film debut as the titular character, with Priyamani as the female lead and Ponvannan, Saravanan and Ganja Karuppu and Sujatha essaying supporting roles...
in 2007 as the titular character, a careless village rowdy, winning critical acclaim and several accolades including the Filmfare Award for Best Actor and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award. His next role was that of a coolie
Coolie
Historically, a coolie was a manual labourer or slave from Asia, particularly China, India, and the Phillipines during the 19th century and early 20th century...
in Aayirathil Oruvan (2010), a fantasy-adventure film directed by Selvaraghavan
Selvaraghavan
-Personal life:Selvaraghavan is the son of film director Kasthuri Raja, elder brother of actor Dhanush and has two sisters, who are both doctors. On 15 December 2006, he married actress Sonia Agarwal, with whom he had previously worked with on three films...
. He achieved consecutive commercial successes with his subsequent releases – Paiyaa (2010), Naan Mahaan Alla (2010) and Siruthai (2011), which established him in the Tamil film industry. He became popular in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
after three of his Tamil films were dubbed into Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
and became equally successful.
Apart from his film career, Karthi has also been involved in social welfare activities, encouraging fans to do likewise through the "Makkal Nala Mandram", a social welfare club that he inaugurated. In 2011, he became the cause ambassador for Lysosomal Storage Disease
Lysosomal storage disease
Lysosomal storage diseases are a group of approximately 50 rare inherited metabolic disorders that result from defects in lysosomal function...
to increase awareness of the disease.
Early life
Karthi was born on 25 May 1977 in ChennaiChennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India. He was educated at Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan
Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan
Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan is a group of schools located in Chennai, India, Bangalore, India and in Coimbatore, India. The school was founded by Padmashree Awardee, Rajalakshmi Parthasarathy, also known as Dr.Mrs.Y.G.Parthasarathy an educationalist.-Branches:* Chennai** PSBB K.K.Nagar** PSBB...
, and later at St. Bede's Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School
St. Bede's Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School
St. Bede's is a school in Chennai , Tamil Nadu, India. The school was started in 1907 to provide Catholic education for children of European and Anglo-Indian descent.-The first 25 years:St. Bede’s School was born in 1907...
, Chennai. He gained a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from the Crescent Engineering College
Crescent Engineering College
B. S. Abdur Rahman University is a private university from the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Previously functioning under Madras University and Anna University as B. S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Engineering College, the institute gained deemed status in 2008–09, and was renamed B. S. Abdur Rahman...
, Chennai. After graduating, he worked as an Engineering consultant in Chennai and considered higher studies abroad. "I was earning about 5000, per month and found the work monotonous. That was when I thought, I should do something more", he recalls. Karthi got a scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
for his higher studies in the United States, and enrolled at Binghamton University
Binghamton University
Binghamton University, also formally called State University of New York at Binghamton, , is a public research university in the State of New York. The University is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York system...
, New York, where he earned his Masters of Science in Industrial Engineering. While pursuing his masters, he also attended lectures on filmmaking
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
.
He worked part–time as a graphic designer
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
in New York for a short period, then decided to pursue a career in film–making. He attended two courses in basic film–making at State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
before entering films. He stated, "I always knew I wanted to be in films but I did not know exactly what I wanted to do. I loved movies and watched a lot of them. But my father insisted that I get a good education before I joined the film industry".
2007: Debut success
When Karthi returned to India, he met director Mani RatnamMani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and producer. He made his directorial debut with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi starring Anil Kapoor in 1983...
, who offered him the role of Arjun (later played by Siddharth
Siddharth Narayan
Siddharth Suryanaraynan , popularly known and credited as Siddharth, is an Indian film actor, playback singer and screenplay writer. After his business management studies, Siddharth chose to work in film making and worked as an assistant director before making his acting debut in the 2003 Tamil...
) in the film Aayutha Ezhuthu. Karthi declined the offer and worked as an assistant director on the same film and its Hindi version Yuva
Yuva
Yuva , originally titled Howrah Bridge is a feature film directed by Indian director Mani Ratnam and released in 2004. Simultaneously made in Hindi and Tamil , the prime objective of the movie was to motivate educated Indian youths to enter politics.The film tells the stories of three young men...
because he wanted to become a film director and preferred directing to acting. Karthi continued to receive acting offers and his father convinced him to take up acting, telling him " ... one can always direct films but one will not get a chance to act once you grow older". Karthi accepted his first acting assignment in April 2005. Ameer Sultan
Ameer Sultan
Ameer Sultan ; born 5 December 1966) is an Indian film director, producer and actor, working in the Tamil film industry. He has directed three films and has gained notable critical praise for two of them, the mystery thriller Raam and the drama Paruthiveeran...
approached him to play the titular character in the film Paruthiveeran
Paruthiveeran
Paruthiveeran is a 2007 Indian Tamil film written and directed by Ameer Sultan. The film stars Karthi in his feature film debut as the titular character, with Priyamani as the female lead and Ponvannan, Saravanan and Ganja Karuppu and Sujatha essaying supporting roles...
and Karthi accepted the offer because the film was " ... so compelling". The film was released in July 2005 and experienced financial difficulties, and was almost abandoned by mid–2006. It was released in January 2007, opened to critical acclaim and became commercially successful.
Critics unanimously praised Karthi's portrayal of a careless village rowdy. Behindwoods said: "He has done away with every trace of sophistication in his body language and even handles the sickle with consummate ease. He looks every inch a hot blooded youngster from some rural part of Tamil Nadu [and] appears seasoned in the romantic scenes ... Uninformed people might not believe that this is the young man’s big screen debut. Look out for this guy ... ". Sify
Sify
Sify Technologies Limited is an Internet service provider established in 1998, based in Chennai, India.-Company profile:...
said: "It’s hard to believe that it is Karthi’s debut film as he is just spectacular. His expressions, anger, laughter and anguish are all so realistic that you can feel the fire in him." Rediff called his performance "excellent", and " ... one of the top performances of 2007". Karthi received several accolades for his performance, including the Filmfare Award for Best Actor in Tamil.
2010–present: Break after Paruthiveeran
In October 2006, Karthi signed his second project under SelvaraghavanSelvaraghavan
-Personal life:Selvaraghavan is the son of film director Kasthuri Raja, elder brother of actor Dhanush and has two sisters, who are both doctors. On 15 December 2006, he married actress Sonia Agarwal, with whom he had previously worked with on three films...
's direction, Idhu Maalai Nerathu Mayakkam, which was supposed to be a romance film, featuring Sandhya
Sandhya (actress)
Revathi , known by her stage name Sandhya, is an Indian film actress who acts primarily in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada films. She made her debut as an actress in the 2004 Tamil film Kaadhal , her performance in which earned her a Filmfare Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award...
as the female lead. Karthi's character was a " ... sophisticated upmarket stylish guy ... ". Selvaraghavan abandoned that project and in July 2007, he announced the production of a fantasy adventure called Aayirathil Oruvan with Karthi in the lead role. Filming began later that year and was expected to be completed by February 2008. The producers planned to release it in mid-2008, but production was delayed and filming continued until early 2009. Karthi had agreed to play the lead character in Linguswamy
N. Linguswamy
N. Linguswamy is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer, working primarily in Tamil cinema based in Chennai. He made his directorial debut with the family-drama Aanandham in 2001 and followed it up with the highly successful action films Run , Sandakozhi , Bheema and Paiyaa...
's next film, Paiyaa, in September 2007. Because of the slow progress of Aayirathil Oruvan, Paiyaa was postponed several times. Karthi later said that he became anxious because he received several film offers but could not work on them because he needed to maintain the continuity of his looks. He said he was " ... dying to start shooting for Paiyaa " and to " ... wear good clothes ... ". During the filming of Aayirathil Oruvan, producer Ravindran complained that Karthi was trying to change his look and move on to Paiyaa before finishing his commitments.
Aayirathil Oruvan was released in early 2010. Karthi's portrayal of a chief coolie was often compared to that in his debut film. Sify called Karthi's performance " ... a scream.", and said, "Right from his introduction scene till the end, he is lovable and provides humour.", and that he had " ... made a sensational comeback ... ".
In April 2010, Linguswamy's Paiyaa released. A romantic road–trip film, featuring a "...blockbuster album
Paiyaa (soundtrack)
Paiyaa is the soundtrack to the 2010 Tamil romantic-action film, Paiyaa, directed by N. Linguswamy and starring Karthi and Tamannaah Bhatia. The soundtrack album originally includes five and an additional track composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja and was released on November 22, 2010 by Think Music...
" by Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, singer and occasional lyricist. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil as well as several Telugu films. His musical career began in 1996, at age 16, as he composed the film score for Aravindhan...
, it was very successful. For the first time, Karthi enacted a character that lives in an urban area. Karthi said that he accepted the film because he " ... desperately wanted to play a cool dude on screen". Karthi's performances in Aayirathil Oruvan and Paiyaa earned him further nominations at the 58th Filmfare Awards South
58th Filmfare Awards South
The 58th Filmfare Awards South ceremony honoring the winners and nominees of the best of South Indian cinema in 2010 was held on July 2, 2011 in Hyderabad, India.-Tamil:*Nominations** 9 nominations: Aayirathil Oruvan...
in the Best Actor category. Both films were dubbed into Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
as Yuganiki Okkadu and Aawara, respectively, and were successful.
Karthi's third 2010 film was Suseenthiran's thriller Naan Mahaan Alla, in which he played a middle class young person from Chennai whose life is disrupted when his father is killed. It received good reviews, was very popular, and Karthi's performances was praised by critics. Sreedhar Pillai of Sify wrote: "[Karthi] nails the character to perfection" ... He is one good reason to see the film." Bhama Devi Ravi of Times of India wrote: " ... what a pleasure to see Karthi deliver his best performance to date ... ". Rediff wrote that "Karthi has simply had a ball ... " and "It's been a long time since you saw an actor who can be as convincing in sadness and rage, as in happiness." Naan Mahaan Alla was dubbed into Telugu and released as Naa Peru Shiva in 2011; it was very successful and earned Karthi some Telugu film offers.
Karthi's next film was the action–masala film
Masala (film genre)
Masala is a term given to films of Indian cinema that mix various genres in one film. Typically these films freely mix action, comedy, romance, and drama or melodrama. These films tend to be musicals that include songs filmed in picturesque locations...
Siruthai (2011), a remake of the 2006 Telugu film Vikramarkudu
Vikramarkudu
Vikramarkudu is a Tollywood film released on 23 June 2006 and was directed by S.S. Rajamouli. Ravi Teja and Anushka Shetty play the main roles in this film. This film was a big success. Ravi Teja plays a double role, for the first time, in this film. He was praised by big stars for his commendable...
. Karthi played two roles; a thief and a police officer. Karthi's performances received favorable reviews. Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
wrote: "Karthi looks and performs better with every film. Siruthai exemplifies the observation". Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff wrote: "But the film belongs to Rocket Raja (Karthi), the sort of adorable ruffian Tamil cinema has been missing for a while. He picks pockets, slices off handbags, charms women and even bashes (!) them up without a single jolt to his conscience." Despite gaining mixed critical response, the film achieved financial success, becoming one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of 2011. In 2011, Siruthai became Karthi's biggest commercial success, cementing his position in the Tamil film industry. Sify said that Karthi had become " ... one of the hottest stars in Kollywood
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
". Karthi made a special appearance in a song in K. V. Anand
K. V. Anand
K. V. Anand is an Indian cinematographer, film director and former photo journalist. After working for a short period as a journalist, he became a cinematographer in the early 1990s, working for about fifteen films in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu...
's Ko
Ko (film)
Ko is a 2011 Indian Tamil political thriller film directed by K. V. Anand starring Jeeva, Ajmal Ameer, newcomer Karthika Nair and Piaa Bajpai. The film was released on 22 April 2011 to mostly positive reviews, and was dubbed into Telugu as Rangam as well. The film's plot outline is inspired by the...
(2011), alongside other prominent actors from Tamil cinema.
In May 2011, Karthi began working on a film titled Saguni
Saguni
Saguni is an upcoming Tamil political drama film directed by Shankar Dayal and produced under Dream Warrior Pictures studio. The film features Karthi in the lead roles...
, directed by Shankar Dayal. Saguni is a mass masala film that " ... has striking similarity to Siruthai ... ". Furthermore he is simultaneously shooting for a untitled film, opposite Anushka Shetty
Anushka Shetty
Anushka Shetty is an Indian film actress who works mainly in the Telugu and Tamil film industries. She debuted in the 2005 Telugu film Super and rose to fame following her performance in Vikramarkudu...
under the direction of Suraj
Suraj (director)
Suraj is a Tamil film director, best known for directing action-masala films.-Filmography:-References:...
.
Personal life
Karthi was born to SivakumarSivakumar
Sivakumar is a Tamil cinema actor who has portrayed a wide range of character roles onscreen. Sivakumar was introduced in the Tamil movie Kaakum karangal which was produced by AVM Productions....
and his wife Lakshmi. Sivakumar is a veteran Tamil actor who has appeared in approximately 200 films. Karthi has two siblings; an elder brother, Suriya, also a leading actor in the Tamil film industry, and a younger sister named Brindha. Former leading Tamil film actress, Jyothika Sadanah
Jyothika Saravanan
Jyothika Sadanah-Saravanan is a former Indian film actress who predominantly appeared in Tamil films. She also acted in a few Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi films. She gained critical acclaim for her performances in Kushi, Perazhagan, Chandramukhi and Mozhi, winning one Filmfare and three...
is Karthi's sister–in–law. On 3 July 2011, Karthi married Ranjani Chinnasamy, who graduated with a Masters degree in English literature from Stella Maris College, Chennai. Karthi and Ranjini were engaged on 29 April 2011 at Ranjani's native village, Goundampalayam in Erode District, and the wedding was held at the CODISSIA trade fair complex in Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
. The wedding was arranged
Arranged marriage
An arranged marriage is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile curtailing or avoiding the process of courtship. Such marriages had deep roots in royal and aristocratic families around the world...
by the elders of the family.
Other work
Karthi has been involved in several charities and social service activities. In May 2008, on his 31st birthday, he inaugurated the Makkal Nala Mandram, in order to encourage his fans to become involved in welfare activities. During the event, Karthi donated blood, donated bicycles to handicapped people, sewing machines to women and schoolbags to children. Karthi presented a cheque of 50,000 to YRG Care Centre, which helps AIDSAIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
affected children. In 2011, Karthi became the cause ambassador for Lysosomal Storage Disease
Lysosomal storage disease
Lysosomal storage diseases are a group of approximately 50 rare inherited metabolic disorders that result from defects in lysosomal function...
to help spread awareness of the disease. He had also adopted a white tiger
White tiger
The white tiger is a recessive mutant of the Bengal tiger, which was reported in the wild from time to time in Assam, Bengal, Bihar and especially from the former State of Rewa.-Color comparison:...
cub at Vandalur Zoo and contributed 72,000 to protect and preserve the animal. On his birthdays, Karthi has visited orphanages and donates funds to them. He told Indiaglitz; "When I see people in need, I make sure I go and help. If I am going on birthdays to reach out to kids in orphanages, it is for my own satisfaction. I feel happier to be with them and it's nice to make them smile on that particular day." Karthi has said that he was impressed and inspired by his father and brother's activities, all well known for their charity works. On September 2010, Karthi signed a contract with Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel Limited , commonly known as Airtel, is an Indian telecommunications company that operates in 20 countries across South Asia, Africa and the Channel Islands. It operates a GSM network in all countries, providing 2G or 3G services depending upon the country of operation...
to become its brand ambassador in South India and appear in its "Indraikku enna plan" advertising campaign.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Paruthiveeran Paruthiveeran Paruthiveeran is a 2007 Indian Tamil film written and directed by Ameer Sultan. The film stars Karthi in his feature film debut as the titular character, with Priyamani as the female lead and Ponvannan, Saravanan and Ganja Karuppu and Sujatha essaying supporting roles... |
Paruthiveeran | Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil Tamil Nadu State Film Special Prize Vijay Award for Best Male Debut Vijay Award for Best Debut Actor The Vijay for Best Début Actor is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films.-The list:Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.-Nominations:*2007 Karthi - Paruthiveeran... |
| 2010 | Aayirathil Oruvan | Muthu | Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil |
| 2010 | Paiyaa | Siva | Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil |
| 2010 | Naan Mahaan Alla | Jeeva Prakasam | Nominated—Vijay Award for Best Actor Vijay Award for Best Actor The Vijay Award for Best Actor is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films. It was given from the second ceremony onwards.-Winners and nominees:*2007 Sathyaraj - Onbadhu Roobai Nottu... |
| 2011 | Siruthai | Rathnavel Pandian, 'Rocket' Raja |
|
| 2011 | Ko Ko (film) Ko is a 2011 Indian Tamil political thriller film directed by K. V. Anand starring Jeeva, Ajmal Ameer, newcomer Karthika Nair and Piaa Bajpai. The film was released on 22 April 2011 to mostly positive reviews, and was dubbed into Telugu as Rangam as well. The film's plot outline is inspired by the... |
Himself | Special appearance |
| 2012 | Saguni Saguni Saguni is an upcoming Tamil political drama film directed by Shankar Dayal and produced under Dream Warrior Pictures studio. The film features Karthi in the lead roles... |
Krishna | Filming |
| 2012 | Untitled Suraj Suraj (director) Suraj is a Tamil film director, best known for directing action-masala films.-Filmography:-References:... Project |
Filming |