After adding several kilos for the role of Raj Nayak in Kaashmora, Karthi appears stunningly slim now, for his upcoming flick, Kaattru Veliyidai. The expectations are huge for his fantasy flick Kaashmora directed by Gokul, which is releasing on 1,700 screens across the globe on Diwali. On this festive occasion, in an exclusive to DC, the actor speaks about his contrasting dual roles in Kaashmora, on the film being devoid of romance despite the two leading ladies — Nayanthara and Sri Divya, and more.
“Three years of hard work, different get-ups, a period setup, and challenging roles —Kaashmora is undoubtedly a significant movie in my career,” Karthi starts off the conversation.
Two characters and three getups
The period segment, which runs for 30 minutes in the film dates back 500 years. I play Raj Nayak, a warlord and a self-obsessed man. It took three to four hours for the makeup. Director Gokul narrated the story very interestingly with a lot of fantasy elements. It became so grand that the budget was mounting high. Producer Prabhu was not perturbed, but was pumping in the money whenever we asked.
Kaashmora had a scope for a great performance for the dual characters. Gokul helped with the designs on how a palace and its warlord should look. Most importantly, the film was shot by a film camera and trolley instead of the usual motion capture technology. Each shot needed to be captured four times.
On Nayanthara and Sri Divya
For the strong, performance-oriented role of Ratna Mahadevi, a princess in the film, we couldn’t think of anyone other than Nayanthara. She is not playing a negative role. On the other hand, Sri Divya plays a contemporary girl, a research scholar.
Kaashmora sans romance
I know, when there are two ladies, it is natural to talk about the love segments. But, there’s no romance at all in Kaashmora. Yet, Gokul had made the script in such a way that there’s a strong connect to all the characters.
Don’t compare Kaashmora with Baahubali
We started planning for Kaashmora three years ago. We tried on various get-ups with prosthetic makeup as well. Finally, this mottai getup with tattoos all over the body was finalised. After doing so much of research, when we started shooting with the new look, Baahubali was released. Baahubali has now become a benchmark for period films. Comparisons are bound to happen. We did not have the kind of budget Baahubali did.
New sound by Santhosh
Santhosh Narayanan has lent a new sound to the film’s music. He used to say that he had been dreaming of scoring music for films like Lord of the Rings in Tamil, where he can try out various instruments. He was happy with this film. There’s a song with Nayan in the period segment and Santhosh has composed a Carnatic style song for that for the first time.
Nayanthara is a thorough professional
You don’t have to explain each scene — she would understand as soon as we explained the situation. But, we have only a few combo scenes in the flick. This is my first time working with Vivekh too. He essays my dad and we have lot of portions together.
Preparations for the period commander role
I learnt horse riding, sword fights, etc. Though they are all trained horses, when they come to the shooting spot, they will not cooperate. They would get scared. We would be equipped with doctors, and trainers. Yet, each time the shot got ready, the horses would jump looking at my odd makeup and run away. Dubbing was yet another challenge
I had to change the tone and modulation. I dubbed for 15 days for this movie. We never took any reference for our period. We discussed permutations and combinations, worked with our own style and constantly avoided taking any reference. Otherwise, we would have ended up imitating thespian Sivaji sir, known for his period films. The film has all the prospects of a sequel.
Little daughter Umayaal calls him Mottai Appa
She doesn’t recognise me in Raj Nayak looks. After my family and friends tell her that it is me, she started calling me ‘Mottai Appa’ (smiles).
Getting into politics
It is our duty to take care of people in the society after a certain point. My appa (Sivakumar) always tells me, it is my duty to do it. Now, being an actor and part of Nadigar Sangam, we are helping a lot of people. We can still do a lot of good work without being in politics.
On preparing for Mani Ratnam’s next
The makers researched history, met air force officers and discussed their experiences. Performance wise, Mani sir used to read each scene. When I assisted him, whatever I suggested or ideated would sound redundant (laughs). Now, after 10 years as an actor, if I ask him whether I can suggest something, Mani sir’s response is ‘yes, why not?’ That’s the improvement. Despite doing several films, I feel very fresh and new while working in Mani sir’s movie.
