The phenomenal success of Hara Hara Mahadevaki (HHMD)

"It's a trial and error process with all films and it's a good thing that HHMD became a Hit. Commercially, it has done my best business till date and I'm going on a good track. The film was tailor made for the youth and they lapped it up. I think I made the producer happy."

The follow-up, Iruttu Arayil Murattu Kuthu ...

"We will start work soon and the release targets have been set. It's again a new genre for Tamil - adult horror comedy. Director Santhosh (also HHMD) knows how to use me in the best way. He understands my strengths, weaknesses, working capacity, how I act, dub etc. He has clearly observed me and we share a good compatibility. If he can do this with all actors, he'll be a very prolific director."

The highly exciting union with dad Karthik

"In Mr.Chandramouli directed by Thiru, I play a boxer. The highlight of the film will be the father-son sentiment angle and their relationship. I went to Thailand to pick up a boxer's tough body language. Since I know a few boxers there, I observed their routine. I will have a more beefed-up look for this film. And, as I had always said in prior interviews, I wanted to have a standing as a bankable hero before I could go on and work with dad. These 3 films (Rangoon, Ivan Thanthiran and HHMD) happened at the right time and I have proved myself. Now I'll see what I can do with my father."

Rangoon - forever close to heart

"I can never forget Rangoon's director Rajkumar Periyasamy. The film gave me two real friends for life - Lallu and Daniel. I literally lived as the character and we travelled with the project for 2 years. The team has become family and Rangoon is my baby. Such films don't happen often! If Rajkumar calls me again for his next film, I'll just go without bothering about anything else."

Indrajith finally arrives!

"Indrajith is a long overdue film. We started off in 2014 January and in 2015 December, we wrapped it up. It's been a journey of close to 4 years and I'm happy it's finally releasing. The grand scale of the film is thanks to the director and the producer. The film would be a fun action adventure film catered to children and the family audiences."

Playing alongside Vijay Sethupathi

"We have wrapped the shoots of Oru Nalla Naal Paathu Solren. I've also completed my dubbing part. The film may release this year-end or early next year. Initially, I called Vijay Sethupathi 'Anna' out of basic respect for his age, but now I really feel a brotherly bond with him. I saw his recent Karuppan; he just stole the show."

Diwali memories while growing up

"Since I studied in a Christian Convent in Ooty and was put up in a hostel, I couldn't spend Diwali with my family in Chennai. The hostel also had a 'no crackers' rule, so we used to just sit and watch the fireworks in Ooty from the hostel. After coming to Chennai, Diwali has become a memorable family affair. It's a new experience for me. This Diwali would be 'Mersal'."