One fine day in 2016, actor Karthik Kumar announced he was hanging up his acting boots in a heartfelt note on social media, titled Confessions of a failed actor. A little over three years later, Karthik returns to cinema, albeit in the new avatar of a director.
“I have been directing stage plays for over 15 years now. Once I stopped acting in films, it gave me the opportunity to revive a long-time dream — to tell stories,” says Karthik, who has just wrapped up the talkie portions of his debut directorial.
The yet-to-be-titled project not only has an interesting star cast but an exciting premise too. Can you imagine 80s stars like K Bhagyaraj, Ambika, Manobala, Chinni Jayanth, and Pandiarajan playing superheroes?
“Kalaaikra maadhri oru vishayamum irukaadhu, and even if there is, the film is so self-effacing that we might have just beaten them (the trolls) to the punch,” says Karthik, who wants to dabble in the less-explored genre of simple feel-good cinema.
It also makes sense that his vision is backed by Siddharth Anand Kumar’s Yoodlee Films, which recently backed Madhumitha’s much-acclaimed KD.
“They believe in the strength of a good script. When this story reached them, they felt it was potentially a good story to tell, and it also fell into their bracket of feel-good cinema,” adds Karthik. Karthik is clear that this is the space he wants to work in.
When I point out that youth are the first audience to any film nowadays, the actor-turned-director says.
“I wouldn’t say that I have elements specifically designed to appeal to the youth. But if the young people in the audience today like a good story, and want to have an unabashed laugh, then I am confident this film will work for them.”
Moreover, Karthik aims to mainly cater to the family audience who are starved for good films. “When a family, especially with kids, watch a movie, it is important that there is no violence, no R-rated humour, and basically nothing embarrassing. At some level, parents are hoping that films of their kids’ favourite stars are family-friendly. But this isn’t always the case. For example, Darbar is not an easy watch for young kids. That’s why I chose to make a Rajkumar Hirani kind of film that makes people laugh, smile, and basically go home, feeling good,” signs off Karthik.