CHENNAI: It was director Selvaraghavan who advised Meiyazhagan star Karthi to leave his characters behind at the end of a day’s shoot. “He said carrying the roles home would hamper our personal lives. I still follow his advice,” revealed the star during a discussion on ‘What Lies Beneath: Getting into Character’ on Monday at the ThinkEdu Conclave in Chennai.
Speaking to senior journalist Kaveree Bamzai, the actor opened up about the psychological toll of his first film, Paruthiveeran (2007). “The climax of Paruthiveeran involves the male lead’s love interest being sexually assaulted by several men. It hit me so hard that I cried every day for three months. Thankfully, on the sets of Aayirathil Oruvan (2010), Selvaraghavan sir saw my preparation and advised me not to stay in character before ‘action’ and after ‘cut.’”
Reflecting on how his grounded upbringing helped him connect to the world of Meiyazhagan (2024), Karthi said he didn’t have to prepare for the role. “It was my comfort zone... I’ve met people in real life like the ones in the film.”
The actor revealed that his role as Vandiyathevan in Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan films got his mother excited about his career for “the first time”. “As far as the romance is concerned, Mani Ratnam sir takes care of it. For a mechanical engineering student like me, it was nothing short of a dream to propose to someone like Aishwarya Rai,” he laughed.
Even as he expressed gratitude for the love he receives from fans, Karthi voiced concern about the lack of recognition for achievers in other fields. “I felt embarrassed to receive applause during an event for our Uzhavan Foundation when people who have achieved much more went unrecognised. Through the foundation, we’re taking up projects like restoration of waterbodies and empowering widows through agriculture,” he said. Sharing an update on the upcoming instalment of Sardar, the actor said Sardar 2 will serve as both a prequel and sequel.