I was ready to even play a horse in the film: Karthi

Mumbai| Indian actor Karthik Sivakumar, professionally known as Karthi, is a name that needs no introduction. The actor, who was most recently seen in the Mani Ratnam magnum opus ‘Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1’, considers the director his mentor and was ready to take up any role in the film – even of a horse – because he didn’t want to miss his chance of working with the director.

Sharing his thoughts on ‘Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1’ and how he was cast, he said: “‘Ponniyan Selvan’, the name itself has a huge identity for the Tamil Diaspora. People have owned this novel and resonated with its characters. The particular book has been relevant for a long time, is still having massive fandom and is a best seller with exhibitions every year.”

Continuing further, he said: “Great filmmakers have aspired to make it into a movie and it has been elusive. Finally, Mani Ratnam completed the task. I received a phone call saying that Mani sir would like to meet me and that he wants me to play a part in this movie. I walked into his office which is when he offered me the role of Vandiyathevan. Who would say no to that!? I was ready to even play a horse in the film if Mani Sir wanted me to do it. He is my guru.”

The actor said: “‘Kaithi’ is definitely one of the important films in my career. It came to me as a small idea but the moment I listened to it, I knew it was a big action film. We did a lot of research to design Dilli, the main protagonist. Since he became the saviour of the cops, I think his look had to be as simple and as unassuming as possible.”

He further mentioned: “Through our research we knew that prisoners do not want to get noticed, so they never look the person in the eyes and speak. The sky is their only connection with nature because they’re born between walls.”