Karthik Rathnam: OTT platforms have been a blessing to my career

At the outset, Karthik Rathnam appears a nervous, shy boy in his early 20s who keeps things to himself and goes about his job sans any fuss. When he appears in front of the camera though, you realise this was just the calm before the storm. It's as if he uses acting as a medium of catharsis to liberate himself from all his apprehensions and inhibitions.

His debut role as Joseph in the heart-wrenching film C/O Kancharapalem is in stark contrast to his real self and so was his beastly act as Ravi Reddy in his first OTT show Gods of Dharmapuri. Six projects-old into the film industry, Karthik has quickly evolved as a bankable performer and is hungry for more opportunities to prove himself. He talks to OTTplay, looking back at his humble beginnings, his early aspirations and his latest OTT release on aha, Ardha Shatabdham.

From overcoming stage fear to acting in stage plays, how did your tryst with acting begin in your childhood?

I had to grapple with stage fear when I was barely six years old. Sometime later, when I landed my very first play, we got about six months to prepare for it. It was a good window to overcome my inhibitions and perform with confidence. I remember delivering popular dialogues from iconic films on the stage to eliminate any possible nervousness. Winning an award for my very first performance at Khammam was an unmatched high. It boosted my morale to a great extent; several theatre veterans had kind words to say about my work. I enjoyed that attention. Plays and performances became a regular feature in my life ever since.

Was there anyone or any source of inspiration in your family who pushed you to act?

None in my family cared much about films. I was the black sleep, going gaga about anything to do with cinema and even enjoyed watching advertisements. I wanted to become a dancer initially, then an actor but I was clear about being a part of the film industry in some form. Noticing my interest, mom got me and my brother to participate in stage plays. While I went on to perform one play after the other (social dramas) with enthusiasm, my brother wasn't quite keen on taking it forward.

How did you end up memorising many lengthy dialogues at that age?

It's funny when I think about this now. There were huge tiles (on the floor) in the house where we had stayed then. For every tile that I crossed, mom made me mug up one line and we repeated the same cycle until I memorised all my lines in a play completely. This ploy proved to be of great help for one play that had heavy-duty dialogue, comprising many veteran artistes where I was the youngest of the lot (probably 10 or 11). I delivered my lines with the right modulation in the very first take during a rehearsal. It was a confidence booster.

Give us a brief glimpse of your life before your debut release C/O Kancharapalem happened...

I had a lot of dreams and expectations about the industry. I kept attending auditions during my Intermediate years, wondering if I could fit into the industry in any role. I bunked college regularly, randomly roaming in and around Krishna Nagar, hunting for every possible opportunity. I even decided to study for CA, with the hope that it would fetch me enough money to produce a film sometime later. Bagging C/O Kancharapalem was a dream-come-true moment. I was in the second year of my under-graduation course when the film happened and was a graduate by the time it released. I didn't find any reason to study later.

You were part of the direction team in C/O Kancharapalem too. Did filmmaking interest you at any point?

No, direction wasn't part of the plan at all. I just completed my portions for the film and they were about to shoot the Gaddam-character episode in the next schedule. I fell in love completely with the environment on the sets and the indie-filmmaking process. I asked (the director) Maha (anna) if I could be a part of the direction department and he agreed. I wanted to understand acting when I was off the camera. I was curious to see how people react to performances behind the lens or when someone takes too many takes to get a scene right. Now, I at least know what abuses they would hurl at me if I don't perform well (laughs). Even now, if I get an opportunity to be a part of a team like C/O Kancharapalem, I won't think twice about being part of it.

Did you enjoy playing your character again for the Tamil remake C/O Kaadhal?

C/O Kaadhal was a memorable experience. There are certain languages that all of us are naturally inclined to. It was Tamil for me. I stayed in Secunderabad, a side of the city where many Tamilians reside and I enjoyed listening to their conversations. Tamil is a beautiful language. I had even become a big-time fan of Dhanush for the same reason. When the Tamil remake offer (of C/O Kancharapalem) came by, I jumped at it. The experience felt new despite performing the same character. Mazaa occhindi. (I had great fun). My performance in the original was raw while I got accustomed to the character more in the Tamil version. Puberty had just me; so I think I also looked better in the remake. (laughs)

Despite being a shy, reserved actor off the sets, you transformed into a wild beast in Gods of Dharmapuri (on ZEE5) effortlessly. What went into the performance?

Oh, don't ask me about it! I was so terrified about uttering so many cuss words on a set. We casually swear while talking to friends but it's something else to use such strong language when the entire crew is watching you. Every second line in my dialogue sheet was filled with abuses. I had to sit with the writer (Bhargav Karthik) to transport myself into the dark zone and be okay with his liberal use of foul language. Apart from that, the character Ravi Reddy was so special, his varying equation with his mom, brother and the many women in his life made for a terrific character arc. I judge the importance of a character not by how it starts but by how it ends and I enjoyed being in that space.

Would you be interested to take up negative roles in the times to come? The intense side to your repertoire deserves more attention...

Portraying negative roles is no mean feat. You are likely to carry the same negative energy even while you return home. Many dark, wild thoughts keep troubling you and it requires some effort to be sane. I am open to doing negative roles in the future. Labels don't worry me. I only need to be excited by the character/story and I don't mind doing any role.

You'd recently mentioned that Ardha Shatabdham was an experience very close to your heart. What made you say it?

The director, Rawindra Pulle, cast me in this film based on my performance in C/O Kancharapalem. Even during his first narration, I was nervous about carrying such a heavy, powerful story on my shoulders. I was looking to do a few light-hearted roles but the director convinced me that he would take care of everything once I entered the set. He was right about that. I found the entire working atmosphere quite welcoming and many senior actors like Sai Kumar, Subhalekha Sudhakar, Aamani were so easy to talk to. It's as if I had enrolled for a crash course in acting for a few months and went back learning life-changing lessons.

The rise of OTTs has coincided with your growth as an actor too...

OTT platforms have been a blessing to my career, there are no two things about it. I was flooded with messages after C/O Kancharapalem premiered on OTT. Many couldn't catch it in theatres and audiences were blown away by what they saw. Gods of Dharmapuri helped me reach many more quarters and now Ardha Shatabdham. I couldn't have asked for more.

What about Narappa? It's easily the most prestigious project you've been a part of.

Ever since we commenced Narappa's shoot in January 2020, I have been restlessly waiting for it to release but COVID-19 upset our plans both in 2020 and 2021. I just want the pandemic to end and see people flocking to the theatres again. I have grown up watching Venkatesh sir's films, singing and dancing to his songs. Every actor from this generation is certain to have a special place for him in their hearts; such has been his influence. It's hard to put the experience of working with him in words. Moreover, this is a remake of a Dhanush film (Asuran) and I was secretly hoping to play the role of the elder son when the remake was announced. I can't thank my stars enough. The original role was on my mind as I did the remake but I wouldn't say it affected my performance on any level.