Karunas
| Karunas Sethu | |
|---|---|
 Karunas | |
| Born |
Karunanidhi 21 February 1970 Peravurani, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian, musician |
| Years active | 2001 – present |
| Spouse(s) | Grace |
Karunas (born 21 February 1970 as Karunanidhi Sethu) is an Indian actor and comedian in the Tamil film industry. Appearing mostly in supporting roles, he has also played lead roles in films including Dindigul Sarathy (2008) and Ambasamudram Ambani (2008). Apart from acting, Karunas has also been credited in films as a producer, music composer and a singer, while he continues to serve as the Vice-President of the Nadigar Sangam, after being elected in October 2015.[1]
Early life
Karunas was born as Karunanidhi Sethu in Peravurani, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. He did his schooling at Palangudi Bharathi School and later studied at Nandanam Arts, Presidency College. Karunas began his career as pop singer and dancer, working extensively on Tamil folk music.[2][3] He then gradually appeared in films as a comedian.
Film career
Karunas began work as a gaana singer aged 12, earning the moniker "Gaana" Karunas, and made his television debut through Yuhi Sethu's Naiyaandi Darbar show in the late 1990s as a musician. Director Bala heard one of his songs and subsequently signed Karunas on for an acting role in his second directorial venture, the drama film Nandha (2001). He was cast as the comedian and his role as 'Lodukku' Pandi won him critical acclaim, prompting him to accept further film offers.[4] He subsequently went on to appear in notable films including Baba (2002), Pithamagan (2003), Vasool Raja MBBS (2004) and Polladhavan (2007) in supporting comedy roles. Karunas has also distributed two films, Pori (2007) and Kattradhu Thamizh (2007), but the failure of both films has prompted him to stay away from distributing any further ventures.[4]
Karunas first appeared in the lead role in the comedy drama, Dindigul Sarathy (2008), portraying an insecure man with an inferior complex. With heavy promotions by Sun Pictures, the film became a surprise success at the box office and prompted Karunas to appear in further lead roles in the comedy films Ambasamudram Ambani (2010), Chandhamama (2013), Ragalaipuram (2013) and Lodukku Pandi (2015).[5] In between the films, he also trialled serious performances, and was briefly involved in the making of Thanga Meengal (2013) before it underwent a change of cast, while he won acclaim for his role in Santosh Sivan's war drama film, Ceylon (2014).[6] His films as the lead hero, gradually had lower key promotions than the previous ones, and in 2015, Karunas announced he would not appear in any further lead roles.[7] He subsequently made a return to starring supporting roles thereafter, winning critical acclaim for his performance of a suicidal man in Darling (2015) and as a villager in Komban (2015), which became his hundredth film.[8]
Personal life
Karunas is married to Grace, a playback singer in the Tamil film industry. The pair had met when Karunas was the guest judge at an inter-collegiate singing competition, and after being impressed, Karunas asked her to sing in his personal music album.[9][10]
Political life
He is the leader of "Muthukulathhor PuliPadi" party. He is slated to contest from Thiruvadanai assembly seat in the upcoming 2016 general elections under AIADMK's Twin Leaf (Irratai Ilai) election symbol. The election is schedule on May 16, 2016.
Filmography
As an actor
As a music director
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Rajathi Raja | |
| 2010 | Ambasamudram Ambani | |
| 2011 | Kasethan Kadavulada |
As a singer
| Year | Film | Song | Composer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Shree | "Madurai Jilla" | T.S Muralidharan | |
| 2007 | Chennai 600028 | "Jalsa" (Remix) | Yuvan Shankar Raja | |
| 2009 | Rajathi Raja | "Kathirikka" | Himself | |
| 2011 | Kasethan Kadavulada | "Kasethan" | Himself | |
| 2013 | Chandhamama | "Koyambedu Silk Akka" | Srikanth Deva | Also lyricist |
| Ceylon | "Londoniley" | Vishal Chandrashekhar | ||
| Ragalaipuram | "Obamavum Ingethan" | Srikanth Deva | ||
| 2015 | Darling | "Vandha Mala" | G. V. Prakash Kumar | |
References
- ↑ The Hindu : Friday Review Chennai / Interview : Comedy proves a cakewalk
- ↑ http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-14/news-interviews/31700461_1_karunas-movie-star-dindigul-sarathy
- ↑ http://newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/article519445.ece?service=print
- 1 2 http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/its-karunas-call/article3022536.ece
- ↑ http://www.behindwoods.com/new-videos/videos-q1-09/actor-actress-interview/karunas.html
- ↑ http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/a-special-point-of-view/article5358064.ece
- ↑ http://tamildiplomat.com/karunass-last-movie-comes-to-screen-soon/
- ↑ http://heytamilcinema.com/karunas-makes-century/
- ↑ Ashok Kumar, S. R. (5 September 2008). "My First Break -- Grace Karunas". The Hindu. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- ↑ http://www.behindwoods.com/features/News/News35/25-10-05e/tamil-movies-news-karunas.html
External links
- Karunas at the Internet Movie Database