This ex-assistant to Mani Ratnam is in the top rung now

He entered the industry a good decade after his elder brother Suriya had made a bow in 1997. Karthi's 20-odd films in which he has starred over the last dozen years or so have followed an interesting wave. With his debut ' Paruthi Veeran' released in 2007 and certified a hit, Karthi moved into centrestage in southern cinema. Three years earlier, he was seen in a Mani Ratnam venture ' Yuva' under whom he entered the field as an assistant director in 2004.

Yet, his market, which stretched across to neighbouring Telugu territory too via the dubbed releases soon elevated his rank among the younger lot of 30- something stars who were making a mark in the southern film market. He has survived the highs and lows, the ebbs and tides while working with a mix of new and established directors and also quickly moved into a reliable slot as a sure shot entertainer in the past decade. Today is Karthi's 43rd birthday.