Gautham Karthik, 23, had a dream debut with Mani Ratnam’s Kadal. An undergraduate student of media studies, English and psychology at Christ University, Bangalore, Gautham says college was a far cry from the shy days as a school kid in Ooty. Due to packed film schedules, Gautham had to take a break from college after completing five semesters in 2011. Currently listening to a lot of scripts, Gautham is also planning to finish his course. He rewinds his fun-filled college days for edex.
What did college teach you?
My college years were certainly the best years of my life. That was the time I learnt the importance of extracurricular activities, and, of courses, studies. I was part of the band, Dead End Street, and met different people and also had a chance to experience different cultures.
What was your proudest moment in college?
The first time I went on stage. I was asked to perform as well as compere for events. These were small signs of appreciation for the hard work you do.
Have you had any embarrassing moments in college?
I used to bunk a bit and what was more embarrassing than bunking was the school-boy excuses I gave — it used to be the need to use the men’s room while my teacher would catch me at the cafeteria. At other times, I used to tell them that I missed breakfast and needed to get away. Since I used to score decent marks, they spared me. I also remember an awkward moment with one of my buddies in college choir. Whenever we happened to deliver a good song, he used to high five me on my butt!
How did you score points with the opposite gender?
In school, I was very quiet and avoided the girls, or rather, they didn’t know of my existence. In college, I came out of my shell. In fact, my gang of friends always had a lot of girls. It could be because Christ University was dominated by girls. There were plenty of crushes and harmless flirting. But I left it at that.
Midway into the course, people came to know that I was Karthik’s son and adulation started growing. Due to this, a prank that was an annual tradition became a damp squib — we used to go to our junior’s classes and pretend to be first years. But my celebrity status gave us away.
There was also this funny incident at a pub where I was working part-time. I played a romantic song for a newly-married couple and at the end of it, the young woman professed her love for me much to the chagrin of her husband. I was left red-faced with embarrassment.
Did you have any rifts with professors?
You don’t get along with some teachers because they don’t like you being yourself. Not being an aggressive guy, the most I would have done on such situations was to just walk off.
Where did you hang out in college with friends?
My favourite hot spots were Cake Walk and Cuppa near college. Being a gaming freak, I dragged my friends to most of the gaming joints in Bangalore.
What extracurricular activities were you involved in?
I was part of an NGO, You and I. We conducted weekly camps to help orphans, physically challenged kids, etc, in government homes in Bangalore and Chennai. And, of course, there was my band, which was into acoustic classical rock. I was its rhythm guitarist.
— shilpa.vasudevan@newindianexpress.com