Kollywood's latest comic sensation is Karunakaran. The actor, who has projects like Nanbenda and Kanithan in his kitty, likes to believe his best is yet to come. Having recently worked with superstar Rajinikanth in Lingaa, a star-struck Karuna, has come a long way since his first tryst with cinema.
2014 has been very special for Karuna, who impressed moviegoers with films such as Yaamirukka Bayamey, which turned out to be one the most profitable films of the year, and the critically raved Jigarthanda. With his recent release, the surprisingly funny Aadama Jaichomada, he has also proved that he's cut out for lead roles, which he can play with ease and aplomb. He's following it up with another lead role in filmmaker Radha Mohan's Uppu Karuvadu. He's even ready to take up serious roles, and as a matter of fact, he's playing one with shades of grey in upcoming film Mahabalipuram. Karuna opens up in this freewheeling chat.
Post Jigarthanda, Karuna now has large fan base. He credits it to two important films - Nalan Kumarasamy's Soodhu Kavvum and Deekay-directed Yaamirukka Bayamey. When spotted in public, people recognize him from the characters he's played in these films. "It feels nice when people remember the characters I've played. It's through these characters I've become an established actor".
In Nalan's film, he played Arumai Prakasam, who kidnaps himself to extort money from his father. The role was a crowd-puller, and so was its quirky name, which has a history. "Nalan and I worked in a short film called Nadanthadhu Ennana, and my character in it was called Arumai Prakasam. Nalan felt the name suited me well". Soodhu Kavvum, which is considered one of the best Tamil black comedies, even left superstar Rajinikanth in awe of Karuna's performance. Recalling the rare compliment, Karuna says, "It was the first day on the sets of Lingaa. Ravi Kumar sir had just introduced me to the superstar. I stood in one corner, trying to come to terms with reality. I turned around and found Rajini sir walking towards me humming Kaasu Panam Thuttu (hit number from Soodhu Kavvum). He put his hand around me and appreciated my role in the film. I was pleasantly touched because he remembered my character's name".
Filmmaker Nalan Kumarasamy nurtured the actor in Karuna, who was interested in acting from a very young age. "I've known Nalan from school. I had even performed in his school's cultural competition". He never thought his long association with Nalan would eventually land him an opportunity to don the greasepaint. "After school, I was busy with college. I had completely stopped acting and focused on settling down with a job," he recalls. One fine day, Nalan approached Karuna with the request to act in his short film for television reality show Naalaya Iyakunar, much to the amazement of the latter. "I told Nalan that he was making a mistake. But we somehow managed to win the first season. Nalan promised to cast me in his first feature film," he added. Nalan kept his word and Soodhu Kavvum happened.
Karuna had least expectations from Yaamirukka Bayamey because "When we were making this film, we didn't feel it would turn out to be so funny. I found it weird to stand in front of a mirror to act out a particular scene". Ironically, it turned out to be one the funniest scenes in the film, and Karuna nods in agreement. "When I was travelling recently, a child pointed at me and said 'panni moonji vaaya' (a reference to an extremely funny line from that scene). I need to thank Deekay for writing such a wonderful character. He believed in it more than I". Karuna played Sharath, a funny, greedy resort manager in the film, which he feels is the most unexpected hit of his career.
Neither Arumai Prakasam nor Sharath is Karuna's favorite character from his films. It's Oorni from Karthik Subbaraj's gangster flick Jigarthanda, in which he played hero Siddharth's friend from Madurai. "I could relate myself to the role because I would go very far for a friend in real life too. I've been like that character with some of my friends," he explains. He also had high hopes from the film while shooting it. "The crew's reactions to some crucial scenes made me very confident. I knew this film will stand out and get noticed".
With Aadama Jaichomada, Karuna is ready for lead characters that have good scope for humour. "I prefer doing roles that are important to the story. I don't want to get stereotyped as a comedian. I want to take up lead roles that have humour weaved into them. Sometimes even serious roles can turn out to be extremely entertaining," he says, adding "If you look at my role in Yaan, it isn't that of a comedian but people still enjoyed it". Maybe that's why Karunakaran doesn't like to be called a comedian. He prefers the word "entertainer" instead. "I'm an entertainer first and then an actor," he says. And irrespective of the roles he's essayed so far in his career, Karuna has entertained us every single time. Through his variety of characters, he has developed a unique style and has used it to leave his mark within a short span of time. He considers veteran southern actor Nassar his inspiration. "He's done comedy, played villain roles and has also successfully emerged as one of the finest character artists. I would like to take up such diverse roles," he states.
Many would believe Karuna has a knack for picking memorable roles. Ask him about it, and he says, "Some roles when I hear the narration, I try to imagine them. For Soodhu Kavvum, Nalan told me that if I try and act as casually as possible that it would do". But he wasn't confident about his role in Yaamirukka Bayamey. "I had my own doubts about my role in the film because I was required to be little eccentric, and moreover, I could only accommodate ten days for the role. It was director Deekay who made me believe that I can pull off the role, he recalls. In short, Karuna tries and understand his character and then blindly follows the instructions of his directors. But he has one criterion before signing any role. "I'm always interested in working with filmmakers who are genuinely passionate about cinema. People who work with deadlines and lot of planning excite me the most".
So far in his career, Karunakaran has mostly worked with first-time directors. He backs his decision with a strong reason. "I relate with most newcomers because I can understand their struggle. I've walked the same path they're woalking today. They're more creative and experimental as well," he says, and quickly adds that he would also love to work with reputed directors like Mani Ratnam and Selvaraghavan.
Karuna entered Tamil filmdom when it was ruled by Santhanam, but he says there's absolutely no competition between them. "Santhanam has become a great friend in recent times. While shooting for Lingaa, we had an opportunity to travel together from Chennai to Mangalore. During the course of the journey, we became very close. He gave me lot of tips and suggested that I should be more humorous on screen," he says. Besides Santhanam, he also shares a healthy relationship with senior comedians such as Thambi Ramaiah and M.S Bhaskar. "Working with seniors is always fun as you get to learn a lot".
He believes comedy is of two types - dialogue-driven and one that involves expressing with body language. "For comedians, unique style and dialogues are their strength. An actor like Vadivelu will entertain with is peculiar body language. Santhanam is popular for his punch dialogues. "My comic style is dialogue-driven. Be it Jigarthanda or Soodhu Kavvum, my dialogues would automatically evoke laughter," he says. But he strongly believes any kind of comedy that eventually entertains audiences or not matters the most.
With more hits and just one flop to his credit, Karuna believes, "It's best to get used to success as well as failure, otherwise it leaves you devastated. It's very important to take lessons from seniors. When you're prepared for success, it's good to be ready for failure as well". That's precisely why he doesn't feel ashamed to admit that Maalai Pozhuthin Mayakathilaey was his career's biggest flop.
He dedicates his success to his family. "My father initially felt I'm going to throw away a successful career for films. It was only after my short films were televised, he started backing me. My mother was always very supportive". Karuna is now a married man and he takes his wife, Thendral, along on shoots when he's away on long schedules. "She supports me mentally as well as emotionally," he adds.
Presently, he's at a happy phase in his career. "I'm extremely delighted with the way my career has shaped up. I've already worked with Rajini sir. What more could I ask for? I just hope I continue meeting audiences' expectations with my roles".
Karuna's one important unfulfilled wish is to work with actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan. Like the popular dialogue in Vijay-starrer "Thuppakki", Karunakaran says, "I'm waiting".
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