15 years of Karthi Sivakumar: From Paruthiveeran to Ponniyin Selvan - A performer worth his weight in gold

Around 15 years ago, days before the release of Paruthiveeran, Suriya Sivakumar introduced his younger brother Karthi in the film's trailer and said, ‘Karthi eh en thambi na solrathu perumaya iruku’ (I am proud to say that Karthi is my younger brother). Fast forward to 2022, and Karthi Sivakumar has gone on to become one of the most in-demand stars in Kollywood. Karthi has worked his way up the ladder with credible performances and has cut his teeth while introducing a new brand of hero to the cinema industry.

Having completed his Masters in Industrial Engineering at the Binghamton University in New York, Karthi could have easily settled down in the US with a plush lifestyle and a six figure package. He instead chose the road less taken. He flew down to Chennai and assisted Mani Ratnam in Aayudha Ezhuthu. When Mani asked two of his assistants (Karthi and Siddharth) on who would be interested in playing the role of Arjun in the film, Siddharth grabbed the opportunity while Karthi chose to lay low and make his debut in and as Paruthiveeran. The young actor took the Indian cinema industry by storm from the word go. Thanks to director Ameer, a raw talent was born, delivering blockbusters in Tamil and Telugu industries and creating a niche for himself in a short span of time. 

Karthi didn't rest on his laurels post Paruthiveeran. His subsequent films, Aayirathil Oruvan, Paiyya, Naan Mahan Alla and Siruthai were successful and made him a commercially viable actor in Tamil and laid a strong platform for him in Telugu as well. It was in 2013 he hit a rough patch briefly as Saguni, All in Azhagu Raja and Alex Pandian took a beating at the box office. However, the cinema industry is such that these are some of Karthi's films that garnered the highest TRP ratings when shown on satellite TV. The beginning of Karthi's golden run resumed with Madras in 2014. His role of Kaali in the Pa Ranjith-directorial is a memorable character in Tamil cinema. This is when Karthi started making a transition from an actor to a performer. He consistently created magic on screen with films like Komban and Kaatru Veliyidai. 

Movie industry thrives when stars choose to be a part of good films and are embraced by the audience. Karthi did that in the next three films. His Theeran Adhigaram Ondru - a crime thriller, Kadaikutty Singam - a family drama and Kaithi - an action thriller, all went on to gross over Rs 120 crore at the box office and put a smile on exhibitors' faces in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. Despite being a force to reckon with, Karthi has remained humble and never believed in monikers and superstardom. His humility, hardwork and his power over box office collections fetched him the lead role in Indian cinema's dream project Ponniyin Selvan directed by Mani Ratnam. Even before the film's release, the crew is in awe of Karthi's performance in the movie as Vanthiyathevan and his equestrian skills. With every film he has been setting a new benchmark and has constantly outdoing himself. Good luck Karthi!