His latest release, Amaran, has grossed more than ₹300 crore at the box office, cementing Sivakarthikeyan’s place in the top five of Tamil cinema and establishing him as one of the most bankable stars in the industry. The young boy from Trichy had dreams but perhaps never expected that his rise would be meteoric and he would achieve them all before he hit 40. His journey in cinema has really been the stuff of dreams, albeit with some lows along the way. Having lost his father in his teens, the Maaveran star’s guiding light has been his own perseverance and determination to succeed at everything he took on, from being a TV host in 2007 to becoming an actor in 2012.

Humble beginnings as mimicry artist

The Doctor actor hosted a comedy show on television in the early days of his career and proved that he had a great sense of humour, could ace mimicry and quip witty one-liners that had the audience in splits. Sivakarthikeyan was a simple, humble boy next door who was ever-smiling, and it was this nature and relatability that the Tamil audience loved about him. He became an extremely popular TV host and even hosted numerous movie events where he interacted with the big stars in Kollywood. When he got his first offer from director Pandiraj in 2012 for Marina as lead, he seized the opportunity and went on to act in wholesome family entertainers and comedy dramas, like Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga, Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam, Maan Karate and Rajini Murugan, that utilised his natural talent and connect with the audience.

Tamil film industry analyst Ramesh Bala explains, “Sivakarthikeyan comes from television, which made him very popular while entering the movie industry. He also consciously chose family- and kids-friendly entertaining scripts and avoided thrillers. He is very relatable to the typical Tamil audience member, making him even more popular when he entered cinema.” However, Sivakarthikeyan knew that if he had to compete with other actors in the industry, he had to experiment with different genres. Over the years, he moved away from being seen just as a comedian and built himself up as an actor. He was also shrewd enough to know what roles would work for him and what wouldn’t and tried not to pigeonhole himself into any particular genre. He has stated earlier about choosing scripts, “My decisions on scripts are instinctive – one aspect is that the audience should like it; the other is that it should give me scope for performance.”

Transformation into producer-actor

To make quality cinema and give opportunities for upcoming filmmakers, the Don star launched his production house, SK Productions, in 2018 and has produced seven films so far, including the superhit Doctor and the critically acclaimed Kottukkaali. When speaking about Kottkkaali, SK, as he is popularly called, said, “If I earn profits from the film, the first thing I’d do is to take a portion of it and give Vinothraj the advance for his next. And if I earn even more money from Kottukkaali, then I will search for more filmmakers like Vinothraj and back their visions. I believe backing films like Kottukkaali is the small return to the cinema that has made me who I am today.” He has been lauded by stars like Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan for his films like Kottukkaali. Still, it was when he signed Amaran, produced by Kamal Haasan, that people realised that Sivakarthikeyan was at a turning point in his career.

The mainstream breakthrough with Amaran

A biopic, Amaran, directed by Rajkumar Periasamy, saw SK essay the role of Major Mukund Varadarajan, who lost his life in a terror attack in Kashmir. Everyone from the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin to senior army generals and other film stars praised Sivakarthikeyan for his top-notch performance. While speaking at the success meet of the film recently, an emotional Sivakarthikeyan opened up about his father, who was a jail superintendent and whom he lost as a teenager, “For the past 21 years, I have been living with his memories, and Amaran gave me an opportunity to be him, and see him. He is my first hero. I remember polishing his shoes, placing his badge on the uniform, helping with belt hook, everything. I wanted to be like him in Amaran. I know he will be happy now, hearing all the applause and cheers.”

But the Amaran star did make some headlines for some not-so-pleasant news. He and Dhanush, for instance, had been close friends, and there were rumours that the two had gotten into some dispute, though neither has hinted at it at any point until date. More recently, in 2023, music director D Imman revealed in an interview to a YouTube channel that Sivakarthikeyan had betrayed him and that he would never work with him again. The Don star once again never addressed the issue, and it died a natural death.

Sivakarthikeyan is a source of inspiration to many who want to make it in the film industry and he knows that the brand he has become today is thanks to his fans. At the audio launch of Amaran, a humble SK told his fans with a lot of gratitude, “Naa Vilum podhu kai thandhu.. Ezhum podhu Kai thatti.. Epovum enkudave irukra En fans aana en brothers and sisters.” (when I fell you gave me a hand, when I did well you cheered me, you have always been there for me my brothers and sisters)

2024 has been the year of reckoning for SK as he has become a top Tamil star today – his cameo in Thalapathy Vijay’s GOAT was celebrated by Vijay fans, SK fans and the Tamil audience; his production Kottukkaali won numerous awards and critical praise; and Amaran has raked in more than ₹300 crore at the box office.

But Sivakarthikeyan also understands that cinema is a business and that every rupee the producer spends on him has to yield profits. At an event, SK stated, “Making money in cinema is important. There must be a certain return on investment. However, the audience’s acceptance of me as an actor, and then a star, has taken care of the business aspects of my career. If I work sincerely, I know I will earn as an actor.” He has proved now that he is not just a talented actor but also a star whom producers can bank on and an actor who can deliver fine performances for the audience.

Read Also: Chinmayi Sripaada calls out absence of Sai Pallavi, Dhee from success posters of Amaran, Rowdy Baby

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