EXCLUSIVE PS I: Karthi on how scared he is of Mani Ratnam; Reveals why he is not repeating directors

In an EXCLUSIVE chat with Pinkvilla, Ponniyin Selvan actor revealed how scared he is of director Mani Ratnam

By Pinkvilla Desk

Published on Sep 28, 2022 | 01:47 AM IST | 877.9K

Karthi started his film career as an assistant director of Mani Ratnam

Ponniyin Selvan I, the highly anticipated historical drama directed by Mani Ratnam is gearing up for a massive theatrical release. The movie is getting released in five languages including Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi. Meanwhile, Karthi who plays one of the lead roles in Ponniyin Selvan opened up about his experiences on working in the magnum opus. The popular actor, who started his career as an assistant director of Mani Ratnam in Ayutha Ezuthu, revealed how scared he is of the veteran filmmaker.

In an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, Karthi shared: “I’m a little less scared now. Less scared, but still scared. With this film, I think Mani sir actually opened up a lot, unlike when I was an AD. Even in 2017, he was very glued to what he was doing. But this time, he was chatting with us, he was cracking jokes, sometimes when we were on a boat, he was smiling – that’s very rare. He was pulling our legs; he was having fun. It didn’t feel like Mani sir actually. He was really enjoying in the sets.”

Later, Karthi also opened up about why he is not repeating his directors often. “It just didn’t happen. Because I do two films or one film a year. So, if a director has to work with me again, then he will have to wait for a very long time. Muthaiah waited for me, that’s why it (his latest outing Viruman) happened. Otherwise, it is very difficult to get the dates at the same time. That’s why I think I’ve been missing it. But let’s see. With Lokesh (director of Kaithi) I’m working soon. I would love to work with my directors again,” said Karthi.

Watch the full interview with Ponniyin Selvan I cast here:

Coming to Karthi’s role in Ponniyin Selvan, he is playing Vallavaraiyan Vanthiyathevan, the orphaned prince of the Vana clan. Vanthiyathevan is one of the most popular characters in Kalki Krishnamurthy’s epic novel. All the stars who were planning to star in the Ponniyin Selvan movie adaptation, including legendary superstar MG Ramachandran and veteran actor Kamal Haasan, were keen to play the role of Vanthiyathevan. However, the project was shelved and got delayed multiple times over years, and Karthi eventually came on board for the role.

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