Karthi is one of the upcoming actors of Tamil film industry. He has done a basic course in filmmaking and has assisted director Mani Ratnam. Mani Rathnam offered him to act in ‘Aayitha Ezhuthu’ but Karthi rejected the offer as he aspired to be a director. But when well-acclaimed director Ameer of ‘Raam’ fame approached him to play the hero in his new film ‘Paruthiveeran’ Karthi accepted the offer. And indeed it was a right thing on his part to do as the film has brought for him awards in galore.

Excerpts from an Interview:

You have made a dream debut. How are you feeling?

The film has brought for me the gorgeous lady in black and I’m very happy about it. I’m feeling honoured and I would like to thank and credit the success to director Ameer for extracting an award-winning performance from me in my first attempt in front of the camera. I couldn’t have wanted more!

How do you feel about the moment of glory bestowed on you?

My father and brother are my role models. I got the Best Actor Award along with Mohanlal sir, one of the finest actors in the country. It was a very emotional moment for me.

How did Paruthiveeran happen to you?

Surya had worked with Ameer Sir earlier and he knew the script. I heard the narration of the film from him and went ahead and signed the movie as I had complete faith in Ameer as a director. From the beginning itself I was certain that the film would be a classic. Ameer is a man who understands his craft, and the technicians like cameraman Ramji were in perfect sync with him, which went a long way in enriching the film. My prior experience working as an assistant director under Mani Ratnam helped me during this film.

Did you take any preparation to get that Madurai dialect correct?

As I had done my studies in US I was not very fluent in Tamil. The director personally taught me the Madurai dialect. There was a competition between Priyamani and me. That actually pushed me to perform better!

Would you prefer to be called a substantial actor or a star?

I would prefer to have best of both worlds!