At a recent promotional event in Hyderabad for his upcoming film Madharaasi, actor Sivakarthikeyan reflected on the people who believed in him long before he became one of Tamil cinema’s most bankable stars.

The actor spoke fondly of his college days, crediting his friends for spotting his talent early on. “My college friends encouraged me to do mimicry and take the stage, saying that I’ll do really well,” he recalled, noting how their support gave him the courage to step into performance.

He then turned emotional when mentioning his wife, Aarthy. “And my wife, Aarthy, she married me even before I came into cinema. In cinema, people will always find talent to showcase because it’s a business. But without expecting anything, I didn’t even have a proper salary, but she said okay to me and thought I could take care of her. I should always be grateful to Aarthy,” Sivakarthikeyan said.

Sivakarthikeyan and Aarthy tied the knot in 2010 and are now parents to three children.

The actor’s career began with mimicry and stand-up shows during college, which eventually led him to participate in Kalakka Povathu Yaaru in 2006, where he won the second season. Sivakarthikeyan was last seen in his most successful outing to date, Amaran (2024), where he portrayed Major Mukund Varadarajan. The Rajkumar Periyasamy directorial crossed ₹300 crore globally.

Madharaasi, directed by AR Murugadoss, is set to release on September 5. The film also stars Rukmini Vasanth, Vidyut Jammwal, Vikranth and Biju Menon in prominent roles. The film has music composed by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography handled by Sudeep Elamon and editing by A Sreekar Prasad. Meanwhile, Sivakarthikeyan is also gearing up for his 25th film, Parasakthi, directed by Sudha Kongara.