It’s taken him a rather long time to get here, but actor Gautham Karthik has finally seen a hit in his latest Tamil film Rangoon. On a high after his movie received critical acclaim and praise from audiences, this Christ University graduate gets talking about his journey so far, his famous father and more….
Reacting to Rangoon’s success, an elated Gautham shares, “It’s a real morale booster. A lot of my films have gone unappreciated till now, but at least in this one, there is some recognition for my performance. Our entire team put in a lot of hard work, so obviously, everyone is thrilled to bits.”
The actor now has Ivan Thanthiran lined up for release on June 30, post which he will be seen in Hara Hara Mahadevaki, Indrajith and Oru Nalla Naal Paathu Solren. Having worked with namma hudugi Shraddha Srinath in Ivan Thanthiran, he says, “She’s a very talented, focused and determined girl. You can see her true passion for acting and performing when you work with her. She’s made a lot of sensible choices, so I’m sure they will take her pretty far.”
For someone who made his debut with the legendary Mani Ratnam’s Kadal, success evaded him for quite some time. How did he deal with the tough times? “You just have to try and try again. I’m not the kind to give up easily, especially when I’m doing what I love to do. I love performing and putting myself in other character’s shoes and try to deliver my best. Luckily, I had an abundance of scripts coming in despite the performances of my movies as people always believed that I could perform,” says the actor.
Coming to the inevitable question that is often thrown at him, how has he dealt with the tag of being Karthik aka Navarasa Nayagan’s son? “I don’t think that tag will ever leave me. My dad’s a legend. I don’t feel any pressure because I know I’ve carved a track for myself and people have realised that I’m not doing what my dad would do.”
Interestingly, Gautham was part of a band during his college days. But he admits that he no longer finds the time to perform. “I do go and chill out with other bands. Incarcerated is one of my favourites – they play blues and jazz – I like that kind of music. If I do perform, it’s usually when I’m with my close friends,” says the classic rock enthusiast. Having spent nearly five years here, Gautham can’t help but get nostalgic about the city. “I enjoyed cruising through Brigade Road. I’d love to have my carefree college days back. I always had people around me and that’s something I miss. I met some truly wonderful people there. I hope Bengaluru audiences like Rangoon when it releases there.”
