Karthika Adaikalam (born May 3, 1991), better known

mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...

as Karthika, is an Indian actress who has appeared in

Tamil films Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood ...

. She is probably best known for her performances in ''

Thoothukudi Thoothukudi (formerly Tuticorin) is a port city, a municipal corporation and an industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city lies in the Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal. Thoothukudi is the capital an ...

'' and '' Raman Thediya Seethai''.

Career

Karthika made her debut as an actress through Sanjay Ram's ''

'', a village action drama, where she appeared opposite choreographer-turned-actor Harikumar. She was cast in the film after the makers had spotted her in a commercial. The relative success of the film prompted Karthika to be labelled as 'Thootukudi' Karthika or 'Karuvappaiya' Karthika by the media, after a popular song from the film. A song titled "Ulaga Azhagi" from her second film, '' Pirappu'' (2008) also won her recognition, despite the relative low-key release of the film. She was recognised by director

Bala Bala may refer to: Places India *Bala, India, a village in Allahabad, India * Bala, Ahor, a village in the Jalore district of Rajasthan * Bala, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India Romania * Bala, Mehedinți, a commune in Mehedinţi ...

, who cast her in the leading female role of a bling beggar opposite

Arya Aryan or Arya (, Indo-Iranian *''arya'') is a term originally used as an ethnocultural self-designation by Indo-Iranians in ancient times, in contrast to the nearby outsiders known as 'non-Aryan' (*''an-arya''). In Ancient India, the term ...

in ''

Naan Kadavul ''Naan Kadavul'' () is a 2009 Indian Tamil-language action drama film co-written and directed by Bala. The film is based on the Tamil novel ''Yezhaam Ulagam'' by Jeyamohan, who also penned the dialogues for the film. The film stars Arya and ...

'' (2009) during mid-2007. However, despite being completing a test shoot, where she was asked to beg in the streets of

Periyakulam Periyakulam () is a major town and a municipality in Theni district, in the Madurai Region, South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 42,976. Periyakulam is the northern gateway of the district. Etymology ...

, Bala later dropped her from the project. Some of the other films she worked on during the period including Raghavan's ''Alaiyodu Vilaiyadu'', ''Jawahar Pattalam'' and ''Machan'' also failed to have a theatrical release. Karthika featured in '' Raman Thediya Seethai'' (2008) alongside an ensemble cast including Cheran,

Pasupathy Pasupathy (born 5 September 1967) is an Indian actor. He appeared in critically acclaimed roles in many noted films in Tamil cinema, playing supporting, antagonistic, comedic as well as protagonistic roles. His performance in '' E'' (2006) ear ...

and

Vimala Raman Vimala Raman is an Australian actress and former model who has worked in Indian cinema. She appears in Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil language films. Born and brought up in Australia, she made her debut in 2006 with the Tamil film ''Poi''. An es ...

. She then signed on to appear in ''

Madurai Sambavam ''Madurai Sambavam'' () is a 2009 Tamil language action film written and directed by Youreka. It stars Harikumar, Anuya Bhagvath and Karthika, while Radha Ravi, Dhandapani, and Raj Kapoor play supporting roles. The music was composed by J ...

'' (2009), once again appearing alongside Harikumar. Post-release, she revealed that she had accepted the brief role as a goodwill gesture to Harikumar, who had played a role in beginning her acting career. Karthika took an extended break from the film industry after getting married in 2012. In mid-2019, Karthika announced plans of making a comeback to acting. She will next be seen in the fantasy film, ''Mayamukhi''.

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adaikalam, Karthika 21st-century Indian actresses Indian film actresses Tamil actresses Living people Actresses in Tamil cinema 1991 births Actresses from Tamil Nadu People from Nagapattinam district