Nallavanukku Nallavan Fame Karthik Turns 63; A Look Back At His Film Career

Murali Karthikeya Muturaman, aka Karthik, celebrated his birthday yesterday and turned 63. His name is synonymous with his exceptional acting skills in the Tamil film industry. He is also a recognised playback singer and a politician. He was introduced by Bharathiraja and marked his entry into the film industry with the Tamil movie Alaigal Oivathillai in 1981. During the 80s and the 90s, he ruled the box office and emerged as one of the biggest stars in the industry.

In some Telugu movies, Karthik is credited as Murali. He also goes by the name Navarasa Nayagan, meaning a multi-talented actor. He got this name for his ability to emote all forms of actions and emotions. In his vastly illustrious career, he has acted in more than 125 movies and earned Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, the Nandi Award and four Filmfare Awards South.

Karthik has collaborated with many talents, especially film directors who shaped him into who he is now. He has worked with Mani Ratnam, Bharathiraja, Visu, R. Sundarrajan, Ameerjan, R. V. Udayakumar, Priyadarshan, Fazil, Vikraman, Agathiyan, Sundar C., K. S. Ravikumar, P. Vasu and K. V. Anand.

In 1984, he starred in Nallavanukku Nallavan opposite Rajinikanth, which earned him immense fame and recognition amongst his Tamil fans. He further gained accolades and acclaim for his role in Vamsy’s Anveshana. He also played a cameo role in Mouna Ragam in 1986. It was with this movie that he turned into everyone’s heart-throb. His total screen time was just 25 minutes but he created a colossal impact on the plot of the movie and the minds of the audience. The movie is credited to have catapulted the actor to star status.

He has acted in famous movies like Sundar C’s Ullathai Allitha, which was a blockbuster performance. Apart from this, he has featured in Sundar C’s Mettukudi, Agathiyan’s Gokulathil Seethai, K. S. Ravikumar’s Pistha, Vikraman’s Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen, Cheyyar Ravi’s Harichandra and Selva’s Pooveli.

In recent years, he has portrayed a negative role in K. V. Anand’s Anegan, where he shared the screen with Dhanush. He collaborated with Suriya in Thaanaa Serndha Koottam and his son Gautham Karthik in Mr. Chandramouli. He had a cameo role with actor Karthi in the film Dev.