Actor Karthi is currently promoting the release of his upcoming movie Japan, which is written and directed by Raju Murugan of the National award winning Joker (2016) fame.  Japan is set to release in theaters on November 10 2023 for the Diwali weekend. During the promotions of the same, actor Karthi may have inadvertently sparked a caste debate which has brought forth strong reactions from netizens on X. 

During a press interaction, Karthi spoke about playing the lead in Pa. Ranjith directed 2014 film Madras, which is a political drama surrounding an economically underdeveloped area, occupied mostly by scheduled caste residents. Pa. Ranjith in general has served as the flag-bearer of the Dalit cause in the Tamil film industry, and his movies always come with this oppressed-caste paint. 

However Karthi said that he did not view Madras as a caste-based film. "I grew up in Madras. I don't know caste. No one who grew up in Madras knows caste. We only know names. We have never seen anything beyond that. What I liked about that story was the wall. Like world cinema, there is politics around a wall. This alone caught my eye. Only the characters in it caught my eye. I never saw it (Madras movie) as a caste film. Until now, I do not see any caste paint in the film."

The Japan lead star further added, "Caste doesn't matter to me. It is everyone's individual perspective. Now why do they give the same uniform to everyone in school? They give so that there should be no difference. I was raised that way. I don't know to differentiate."

Karthi who is the second son of veteran Tamil actor Sivakumar, was married to someone within his dominant caste in an arranged marriage in 2011. Actor Sivakumar at that time had stated in public that this was a deliberate move, as his eldest son i.e. star actor Suriya had married his colleague Jyotika (a Muslim from Maharashtra), after a love courtship and opposition from Suriya's conservative household. 

This along with Karthi's statement that Chennai people do not discriminate based on caste has what had irked netizens online. Karthi has also done movies with dominant caste paint like Komban (2015) and Viruman (2022). This has also raised the questioned as to how Karthi was ignorant of caste while doing such films. 

Sivakumar: appa kita edhavadhu sollanuma pa ? https://t.co/qaXbX2raJl pic.twitter.com/XGMaCuueDY

— Shar ✭ (@memethirudi) November 3, 2023

Family la oru couple aachum proper gounder ah irukanum dhan love lam vitutu arranged marriage pannadhu..idhellam edukku pesitu.

— . (@ellathalaezuthu) November 3, 2023

கரெக்டா Weekendஆ வந்து மாட்டிகிட்டியே யா. https://t.co/IuUHGI7mBK pic.twitter.com/tCnR8Zm29g

— Missed Movies 🎬 (@MissedMovies) November 3, 2023

It is in the Villages where there is lot of backwardness.

— KishoreKrishnamoothy (@KishoreLK6) November 3, 2023

Bt after a certain age twitter, films, some other sources made me realise that there is still discrimination happening.

— Eswanth (@thisiseswanth) November 3, 2023

இதெல்லாம் அந்த காலத்தில் இருந்த தலைவர்களின் பெயர்கள். அவர்கள் அந்தந்தப் பெயர்களால் அழைக்கப்பட்டதால் சாலைகளின் பெயர்களும் அவ்வாறு உள்ளன.எடுத்துக்காட்டாக முத்துராமலிங்கத் தேவர் என்றால் தான் அந்த தலைவர் என விளங்கும். இப்பொழுது பின்னால் சாதிப் பெயர் இல்லாமல் இருப்பதே முன்னேற்றம் தானே

— Sirumalar (@sirumalarj) November 3, 2023

சாதின்னா என்னனு கூட தெரியாமல்தான் அண்ணன் சாதி படத்துல கொம்பன்னு பேரோட நடிச்சாரு...நம்புங்க....

— மல்லல் மகேஷ்.மு (@MallalMagesh) November 3, 2023

Great. Wonder why viruman was made at all https://t.co/2WQq9ow4w9

— Saravv (@bore_adikidthu) November 3, 2023

/அதை சாதி படமாக எப்போதுமே பார்த்ததில்லை. இப்போது வரைக்கும். எனக்கு அந்த படத்தில் சாதி இருப்பதாக தெரியவில்லை./

Ranjith who directed 'Madras' with him: https://t.co/aXEQsAXrky pic.twitter.com/aCdhaPXzJn

— புரட்சி_______முகில் (@CheyyaruArun) November 3, 2023

Dude should watch his own movie like paruthiveeran and read books written by his dad sold exclusively in Pollachi bus stands. 😩

— 🐯 (@DaIit_panther) November 2, 2023

In one instance, Karthi says that he was brought up in his family without caste baggage. In another instance, Karthi said that he learnt the word சமூகநீதி (social justice) from @beemji. Contradiction.
குழப்பம் 😂 https://t.co/gy44gTBJr5

— anbudan BALA🎶எ.அ.பாலா (@AmmU_MaanU) November 4, 2023

what's to be proud in this? #justasking

— JAGADISH R (@jagadishsr) November 3, 2023