Karthik Kumar (born 21 November 1977) is an Indian
stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up.
Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...
and actor in the
Tamil film
Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywo ...
and television industries.
Biography
He studied chemical engineering in
Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering.
After earning his Bachelor's degree, Karthik along with his friend Sunil Vishnu quit their respective jobs and started the event management company "Evam", which today is a theatre company of renown. Karthik made his acting debut with ''
Alaipayuthey
''Alai Payuthey'' ( ) is a 2000 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written, co-produced and directed by Mani Ratnam, starring Madhavan (in his Tamil debut) and Shalini. The film explores the tensions of married life between two young ...
'' (2000) portraying a small role as the female lead character's prospective suitor. He was first tested for the role of
R. Madhavan in the film but was rejected as he was too young with no acting experience at the time.
He went on to portray supporting roles notably in films like ''
Yaaradi Nee Mohini
''Yaaradi Nee Mohini'' () is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by Mithran Jawahar. It is a remake of the 2007 Telugu hit Selvaraghavan's ''Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule'' and stars Dhanush, Selvaraghavan's brothe ...
'' (2008) and ''
Poi Solla Porom
''Poi Solla Porom'' () is a 2008 Tamil comedy film directed by A. L. Vijay. It is a remake of the Hindi film '' Khosla Ka Ghosla'' and stars Karthik Kumar, debutante Piaa Bajpai, and Nedumudi Venu, alongside an ensemble supporting cast includi ...
'' (2008).
In November 2016, Karthik lamented getting
typecast in particular roles, especially as the
American mappillai, and announced his retirement from the film industry.
However, he returned with a role in ''
Rocketry: The Nambi Effect'' (2022).
Karthik Kumar is also a stand-up comedian who has done three stand-up specials. His first special, "#PokeMe" has more than half a million views on YouTube. His second special was titled "Second Decoction" followed by "Blood Chutney" streaming on Amazon Prime. He has performed over 1000 shows across India, USA, UK, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. He is managed by Evam Standup Tamasha, a stand-up movement in South India.
Personal life
Karthik Kumar married
Suchitra
Suchitra Ramadurai, known by the mononym Suchitra, is an Indian radio jockey, popular playback singer, songwriter, composer, voice artist, dubbing artist and film actress. She has sung in multiple languages including Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada ...
, a singer, in 2005.
The couple parted ways in 2017. In December 2021, he married actress
Amrutha Srinivasan.
Filmography
Actor
Director
Television
Voice artist
* For
Atul Kulkarni in ''
Aval'' (2017, Tamil)
References
External links
*
1977 births
Living people
Tamil male television actors
Tamil television presenters
Television personalities from Tamil Nadu
Male actors from Tamil Nadu
Male actors in Tamil cinema
21st-century Tamil male actors
Indian stand-up comedians
Male actors in Hindi cinema
Indian male film actors
Male actors from Chennai
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