Navarasa Nayagan Karthik is one of the evergreen heroes of Tamil cinema who is still popular among youth in spite of his rare appearances in films in the past decade or so. The loveable star who ruled Tamil cinema during the 80s and 90s still gets offers from young directors but has been avoiding films.

A report has come that Karthik who is suffering from a long time leg problem was admitted to the hospital several times during the past couple of years for treatment. Sources say that he is in such pain that he has to undergo physiotherapy constantly and finds it difficult to be on his feet for more than an hour or so.

The same sources add that Lokesh Kanagaraj approached Karthik for an antagonist role in 'Thalapathy 67' starring Thalapathy Vijay with an ensemble cast. Even though he liked the character the veteran politely refused and the role has now gone to director Mysskin. However there is no official confirmation on either Karthik's health or him being approached by Lokesh. Earlier it was also reported that he was in talks to replace the late actor Vivek in Shankar's 'Indian 2' starring Kamal Haasan. It was later clarified to be untrue.

Karthik after a long gap was spotted earlier this week in his son Gautham Karthik and actress Manjima Mohan's wedding in Chennai. Photos and videos showed him in a very cheerful mood and lovingly standing by his son during the ceremony.

The 62 year old star actor will soon be seen in 'Andhagan' directed by Thiagarajan and starring Prashanth, Priya Anand and Simran in the lead roles. The film which is the official remake of 'Andhadhun' is expected to hit the screens later this month or early next year.