When Karthik acted in his first film Alaigal Oyvathillai in the early 80s, he probably had no idea that the on-screen romance that he shared with a young Radha would go on to become a cult classic.Three decades later, as his son Gautham Karthik shares his first screen liplock with Radha’s daughter Thulasi Nair, one has to wonder – will the magic continue? Asked about his experience working on his debut film with Mani Ratnam in Kadal he responds simply, “Whatever Mani sir asked me to do, I did.” ‘Then what about that ‘kissu kissu’ – did Mani sir give you instructions for that also?’ nudged his father playfully on stage, prior to a showing of the film’s trailer on Tuesday. A short pause later and a blushing Gautham answered, “Yes.”
Seen in the trailer and now in the first look of the much awaited film, the delicate kiss on the sands of a fishing village in Thoothukudi will have many a romantic fall in love all over again. The story’s protagionist is a Christian fisherman, Thomas. Arvind Swamy plays a priest called Sam while Arjun dons the role of the villain.
“Everyone treated me like family,” elaborated Gautham later. “The whole experience was completeyly amazing,” he summed up.
As for a refreshingly young Thulasi Nair who plays the female lead, it seems with so many actors in the family – her mother Radha and sister Karthika, the acting came quite naturally. ‘How were you so super confident in front of the camera?’ even director Mani Ratnam was curious to know. “I think it’s just in the blood, “ smiled Karthika. A vision of poise in a white dress, it is quite hard to fathom that the leggy lass is all of 15 years old. “I thought of the camera as just something that was ‘there,’” she gestured dismissively. “I think Bea (she referred to her character Beatrice) just came out of me. She added about the kissing scene, with a laugh, “After a while, there was no more Thulasi.”