Sivakarthikeyan Doss (born 17 February 1985[1]), also known by the initialism SK, is an Indian actor, playback singer, lyricist, film producer and television presenter, who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. In 2021, he won the Kalaimamani Award.[2][3]
Personal life
Sivakarthikeyan Doss was born on 17 February 1985 to a Tamil family in Singampunari, Sivagangai district, he grew up in a family with a public service legacy. His father, G. Doss, was a jail superintendent, and his mother, Raji Doss, is a homemaker. Sivakarthikeyan has a sister. He married Aarthi on 27 August 2010.[4]
Sivakarthikeyan completed his early schooling at Campion Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School in Tiruchirappalli. He went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science Engineering from JJ College of Engineering, followed by an MBA from a Chennai institution.
During college, Sivakarthikeyan took part in various cultural events and performed mimicry and standup comedy onstage.[8] Between his studies, he took a three month-break, and during this period, his friends convinced him to go for auditions of Kalakka Povathu Yaaru?, a comedy reality TV show airing on Star Vijay. He started his career as a mimicry artist. Despite initial reluctance to participate, he won the show.[9] He appeared in short films, including his friend Atlee's Mugapputhagam,[10]Identity, Kurahl 786, and 360°. The makers of Aegan noticed Sivakarthikeyan and offered him a supporting role in the film, but his portions did not make the final cut.[11]
Director Pandiraj approached Sivakarthikeyan to play the lead role in his film Marina, and he signed the project. He prepared for the role by paying close attention to Pandiraj's instructions and visiting Marina Beach extensively to study the surroundings, while revealing that he hoped that his natural talent of humor would come through onscreen.[12] Featuring alongside Oviya as a young couple in the film, Sivakarthikeyan's performance was well-received, with a critic noting "the romance adds colour to a monochrome film", while the reviewer also noted that the "role of Senthilnathan requires Siva to be just himself, it is just a cake walk in terms of performance for this actor."[13]
Prior to Marina's release, Aishwarya Rajinikanth had signed Sivakarthikeyan up to play a supporting role as Dhanush's friend in 3, after being impressed with his work onstage as a host.[14] Following significant pre-release hype, the film opened to predominantly positive reviews with critics appreciating Sivakarthikeyan's work providing comic relief in a serious film.[15] The project also marked the beginning of an association with Dhanush, whom Sivakarthikeyan has often stated is his mentor in the film industry.
He was next seen in Ezhil's romantic comedy Manam Kothi Paravai, which opened to mixed reviews but had a decent run at the box office. A critic from Behindwoods noted that the film "might not provide Sivakarthikeyan the platform he is aspiring for – lead roles in movies. But it does showcase his potential as an actor."[16]
2013–2019: Experimentation in genres and success
In 2013, Sivakarthikeyan appeared in three films. In his first release of the year, Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga, a dual hero coming-of-age comedy, Sivakarthikeyan partnered once again with Pandiraj and shot for the film in his hometown of Tiruchirappalli alongside Vimal.[17] The film opened to positive reviews from critics.[18][19] The film became a surprise success at the box office and ended up being a profitable venture for producers and distributors.[20] His next success was through Dhanush's debut production venture Ethir Neechal, written and directed by R. S. Durai Senthilkumar, a former assistant of film director, Vetrimaaran. It is a story about a young man having talent as a runner, who strives to make an identity for himself. His third release in 2013, director Ponram's comedy Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam, saw him portray a carefree rural youth where he paired up with another newcomer Sri Divya. Actor Soori played an important role in the film as Sivakarthikeyan's close friend. It was also the first time that Sivakarthikeyan sang a song in a film, and a promotional video of its making was released to market the film. He won positive reviews for his performance from critics, with Sify noting "Sivakarthikeyan is terrific as Bosepandi because he makes it look so believable on screen with his body language, eyes and dialogue delivery". Another reviewer called him a delight to watch and claimed that he carried the script.[21] The film completed 100 days during its theatrical run and was Sivakarthikeyan's biggest commercial box office success at that time.[22] Sivakarthikeyan's entertaining performances in 2013 led him to win the year's Vijay Award for Entertainer of the Year, an onstage moment which Sivakarthikeyan described as "memorable".[23] He started the year 2014 with a comedy film Maan Karate produced by A. R. Murugadoss. The film featured him as a carefree urban youth who fakes himself as a boxer to impress a girl.
In 2015, Sivakarthikeyan paired up once again with Durai Senthilkumar for a police action film, Kaaki Sattai. The film released on 27 February 2015. It was a story about a sincere constable who takes risks to stop black market organ donation and having the aim to become an Inspector.[24] He again joined hands with Ponram in the film Rajini Murugan, starring another newcomer Keerthy Suresh. The film's producer, N. Linguswamy, ultimately failed to provide Sivakarthikeyan with his salary due to losses incurred by the film's delayed release.[25] His film Remo, directed by debutant Bakkiyaraj Kannan and produced by R. D. Raja, featured Sivakarthikeyan playing a lovestruck youth disguising himself as a female nurse to befriend his love interest.[26] Sivakarthikeyan's next venture was director Mohan Raja's action-thriller, Velaikkaran, pairing with Nayanthara and featuring Fahadh Faasil as the main antagonist. The film, which revolves around an employee fighting against food adulteration in society, was released in 2017 to positive reviews from critics.[27] He then featured in the 2018 film Seemaraja, collaborating with director Ponram for the third time. The film, featuring an ensemble cast including Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Simran, Lal and Soori, released to mixed reviews.[28] Later that year, he acted in the film, Kanaa, the directorial debut of Arunraja Kamaraj and the debut film of Sivakarthikeyan's production company Sivakarthikeyan Productions. The film features Sivakarthikeyan as a cricket coach, acting alongside Aishwarya Rajesh and Sathyaraj. The film released to highly positive reviews.[29] Sivakarthikeyan's first 2019 film was Mr. Local, starring opposite Nayanthara for the second time, which received poor reviews. His scenes from Kanaa were reused in the Telugu remake of the film titled Kousalya Krishnamurthy. In 2019, Sivakarthikeyan appeared in the family drama film Namma Veettu Pillai, and in a superhero film Hero.[30][31]
2021–present: Career expansion
Sivakarthikeyan's only 2021 film was Doctor, which received highly positive reviews from the critics and audience. It became the highest-grossing film of his career, with a global collection of 100 crore rupees. This is his first movie to join the 100 crore club. His next release was Don, which released in 2022.[32][33] Like Doctor, it received favorable reviews by both the critics and audience. It also went on to collect 100 crores at the global box office, becoming his second consecutive 100 crore hit. In 2022, he began filming for Prince under the direction of K. V. Anudeep.[34][35] At the same time, he also began shooting for Maaveeran, which was directed by Madonne Ashwin.[36][37][38]Prince released in 2022 to negative reviews, but Maaveeran released in 2023 and was a commercial success. Soon after, on the occasion of Pongal, his long delayed film Ayalaan was released in 2024 to generally positive reviews, especially with families. The film used 1,400 visual shots, which is the most for any Indian film. Clashing with his former co-star's film Captain Miller, the film grossed over ₹96 crore (US$12 million), emerging as a box office success, and becoming among the highest grossing Indian films of 2024.[39] A month later, Sivakarthikeyan's film with Raaj Kamal Films International, directed by Rajkumar Periyasamy, was announced, previously under the tentative title SK21.[40] On 16 February 2024, the title was revealed to be Amaran, as confirmed by a teaser trailer.[41] The teaser garnered more than 2 million views within 6 hours. Amaran became a sleeper hit at the box office, emerged as the second highest-grossing Tamil film of 2024, garnering widespread critical acclaim for its engaging screenplay, based on the real life incidents revolving around veteran Indian army officer Mukund Varadarajan.[42][43] Sivakarthikeyan brought out a unique flair in Amaran, his first major fully-fledged action entertainer, although his acting on few occasions fell apart and his acting did not provide the level of intensity in few emotional sequences, but he managed to unleash terrific screen presence in the action sequences in the role of Mukund Varadarajan.[44]
His next film was announced, to be directed by A. R. Murugadoss, in his second collaboration with the director, after him previously producing Maan Karate. Anirudh Ravichander was announced as the music director for the film, in his ninth collaboration with the musician, as confirmed by his presence at the film's muharat pooja.[45] The movie is under the working title SK23.[citation needed]
Controversies
Conflict with D. Imman
In 2023, Tamil composer D. Imman publicly announced that he would no longer collaborate with actor Sivakarthikeyan, mentioning a personal betrayal that deeply impacted his life. He chose not to share further details, emphasizing his children’s well-being and the importance of privacy. [46]
Subsequently, rumors emerged suggesting an inappropriate relationship between Sivakarthikeyan and Imman’s ex-wife, Monica Richard. Monica addressed these rumors, clarifying that Sivakarthikeyan had only acted as a mediator during her divorce, trying to help preserve family harmony. She firmly denied any inappropriate relationship and expressed concern over the misinterpretation of Imman’s comments.[47]
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