It has been 13 years since the release of actor Gautham Ram Karthik's debut film, Kadal, directed by Mani Ratnam. Born in a film family, to actors Ragini and Karthik, Gautham was fresh out of graduation from Bengaluru's Christ University when Mani Ratnam approached him for a role in the experimental film Kadal. Initially, Gautham thought that Mani Ratnam approached him to be part of the film's technical crew, but to his surprise, he was offered a key role in the film. Subsequently, he underwent a crash course of sorts in acting under Kalairani. Despite his lack of experience, young Gautham Ram Karthik's performance in the film, opposite Arjun, helped him earn a SIIMA Award for Best Male Debutant.
Since then, he has been part of 18 other films. Gautham's performance in his third film itself, Vai Raja Vai, helped him earn a special jury prize at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. Interestingly, the film stars him as a youngster named Karthik, an IT employee with a unique skill to foresee the future that takes him into the world of cricket betting. In our review, TNIE made a special note of a scene where Vivekh and Gautham's characters use their comic chops to elicit laughter among the audience.
The actor's journey has seen both failures and some successes. According to those close to him, criticism and appreciation have only contributed to making him try and become a more grounded performer. In a recent interview, Gautham told CE that while it hurt him to face criticism, he paid heed to constructive opinion of his performances in films. "It’s also important to continuously improve yourself. If I restrict myself, I stop my evolution as an actor," he said at the time.
Looking ahead, Gautham Ram Karthik is part of another experimental film, a sci-fi crime thriller, titled Root - Running Out of Time. The film, directed by debutant Sooriyaprathap S, also stars Aparshakti Khurana in his Tamil debut.
