Karthi

Karthi Biography

Karthik Sivakumar, known professionally as Karthi, was born on 25 May 1977 in Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu, to the veteran actor Sivakumar and his wife Lakshmi. His elder brother is the actor Suriya and his younger sister, Brindha, is a singer in Tamil cinema; the actress Jyothika is his sister-in-law. He completed his schooling at Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan and St. Bede’s Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School in Chennai.

He took a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Crescent Engineering College, Chennai, and worked as an engineering consultant before winning a scholarship to Binghamton University in New York, where he earned a Master of Science in industrial engineering. He took elective courses in filmmaking there, worked part-time as a graphic designer, and attended two basic filmmaking courses at the State University of New York. Back in India he worked as an assistant director on Mani Ratnam’s Aayutha Ezhuthu (2004), in which he also made an uncredited on-screen appearance.

Karthi debuted as a lead actor in Paruthiveeran (2007), which brought him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil, a Tamil Nadu State Film Special Prize and the Vijay Award for Best Male Debut. He is a recipient of four Filmfare Awards South and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. Later landmarks include Madras (2014), Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru (2017), Kaithi (2019), Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022) and its sequel, and Meiyazhagan (2024). He has also sung playback for several of his own films.

Basic Details

• Full Name: Karthik Sivakumar
• Known As: Karthi
• Date of Birth: 25 May 1977
• Birthplace: Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu, India
• Nationality: Indian
• Profession: Actor
• Industry: Tamil cinema
• Family: Son of actor Sivakumar; brother of actor Suriya and singer Brindha
• Education: BE Mechanical Engineering, Crescent Engineering College; MS Industrial Engineering, Binghamton University, New York
• Acting Debut: Paruthiveeran (2007)
• Years Active: 2004 – present

Career Highlights