Karthik Kumar (born 21 November 1977) is an Indian stand-up comedian and actor who works in Tamil films and television.
Early life and education He studied chemical engineering in Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering. After earning his Bachelor's degree, Karthik and his friend Sunil Vishnu quit their jobs and started the event management company "Evam", which today is a theatre company.
Career Karthik made his acting debut with Alaipayuthey (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 (2008) and Poi Solla Porom (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, an RJ and singer, in 2005. The couple divorced in 2017. In December 2021, he married actress Amrutha Srinivasan. In 2024, Suchitra alleged that the reason for her divorce was that Karthik had homosexual encounters with his co-star Dhanush during the filming of Yaaradi Nee Mohini and even with Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar.
Filmography Actor Year Film Role Language Notes 2000 Alaipayuthey Shyam Tamil 2002 Saathiya Hindi 2004 Vaanam Vasappadum Karthik Tamil 2004 Yuva Vishnu Hindi 2005 Kanda Naal Mudhal Aravind Tamil 2007 Framed Sanjay English Dubbed in Hindi as Sapno Ke Desh MeinChaurahen Nandu English 2008 Yaaradi Nee Mohini Cheenu Tamil Poi Solla Porom Uppilinathan Tamil 2009 Ninaithale Inikkum Vasu Tamil Edhuvum Nadakkum Naga Tamil 2010 Kola Kolaya Mundhirika Krish Tamil 2011 Deiva Thirumagal Karthik Tamil Veppam Vishnu Tamil 2015 Pasanga 2 Akhil Tamil Vellaiya Irukiravan Poi Solla Maatan Dr. Raghu Tamil 2017 Ticket Athif Hussain Tamil 2018 Mannar Vagaiyara Arivazhagan Tamil 2022Rocketry: The Nambi EffectP. M. NayarTamil/Hindi2023AnnapooraniChef AswinTamil2026 Carmeni Selvam Insurance advisor Tamil
Director Year Title Notes 2022Super Senior HeroesDirect Television release in Sun TV
Discography Year Film Song Language Composer Co-singers2010 Manmadan Ambu "Oyyale" Tamil Devi Sri Prasad Mukesh Mohamed, Suchitra Manmadha Banam (D) "Uyyala" Telugu
Television Year Title Role Language Channel 2012 Dharmayutham Arjun Tamil Vijay TV 2025–present Heart Beat Dr. Vijay Tamil JioHotstar
Voice artist For Atul Kulkarni in Aval (2017, Tamil)
References
External links