Though Karthik made his debut in ‘Alaigal Oivadhillai’, it was Mani Ratnam’s ‘Mouna Ragam’ that took him to a different set of the audience. And now, the actor is bouncing back, playing a vital character in the ace director’s ‘Raavan’.

“It was a pleasant surprise when I got a call from Mani’s office. I was going through an emotional and financial crisis at that time thanks to some of my wrong decisions. All is well now,” the actor says with his ‘trademark’ smile. And he adds: “When I met Mani for the first time for ‘Raavan’, I told him that it was my big comeback and thanked him for the offer. He replied sharply ‘Are you crazy? You belong here!’ That’s Mani.”

On his avatar as a politician, Karthik says, “It’s a different ball game. Though I knew this earlier, I wanted to give it a shot to serve the people. Even now I would like to be an active part of politics without losing my identity.”