Renowned Malayalam actress Karthika quit films to enter into marital bliss with
Dr. Sunil Kumar.
Notably even after three decades since Karthika’s last film, her face remains clear in the minds of the audience.
It may sound unbelievable, but it’s a fact that Karthika worked as an actress actively for only two years. While she made her first on-screen
appearance in 1979, playing the childhood portions of the character originally portrayed by Srividya, it was in Oru Painkilikatha released in 1984 that Karthika made her official debut, albeit in a small role. In 1985, Oru Painkilikatha’s director, Balachandra Menon, gave her a career breakthrough by casting her in a key role in his film Manicheppu Thurannappol.
She ruled in the Malayalam film industry for two years and etched her name in the golden annals of Malayalam and Tamil cinema, appearing in some of the most celebrated films of all time. However, at the peak of her career, Karthika bid adieu to the industry. Her last screen appearance was in 1991 in Aavanikunnile Kinnaripookkal. Yet, the impact of her film choices and performances in 1986 and ’87 was so profound that, even after three decades, Karthika’s face remains clear in the minds of the audience.
Although she collaborated with cinema legend
P Padmarajan’s pathbreaking Deshadanakkili Karayarilla and widely acclaimed Kariyilakkattu Pole, she also played the female lead in Sathyan Anthikkad’s Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam and Gandhinagar 2nd Street. Apart from appearing as the heroine in legendary filmmaker Bharathan’s Neela Kurinji Poothappol, she also headlined Priyadarshan’s Thalavattam with Mohanlal. Her performances in Kamal’s Unnikale Oru Kadha Parayam and Joshiy’s January Oru Orma also earned acclaim. Meanwhile, she appeared in two Tamil movies: Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan’s classic crime drama Nayakan and Fazil’s Sathyaraj-starrer Poovizhi Vasalile.
Interestingly, she was mostly cast opposite Mohanlal, and the duo quickly became a fan favourite ever since they first shared the screen in Deshadanakkili Karayarilla. Needless to say, most of their ventures were successful or critically acclaimed, or both.
Now, veteran screenwriter Kaloor Dennis, who penned January Oru Orma released in 1987 has shared an intriguing anecdote from the movie’s sets, revealing how Mohanlal saved Karthika’s life once. Sharing that the film went on floors in Kodaikanal towards the end of 1986, Dennis wrote in Grihalakshmi that he, along with director Joshiy, reached the location two days prior to the commencement of the shoot as he had to write the script as well and had only a start-to-end scene order in hand at that time. Mentioning that he met Karthika for the first time on the first day of filming, Dennis shared that she was a soft-spoken woman who smiled without showing her teeth.
Following the movie’s switch-on ceremony, the first scene to be filmed was an outdoor sequence featuring Mohanlal and Karthika. It was a scene where his character, an unauthorised guide, takes her, an educated young woman visiting with her family, to see the Suicide Point (Green Valley view point) in Kodaikanal. Since it was the first day of the shoot, she had gone to the location along with Joshiy to watch Karthika’s performance,” he recalled. As they walk along the path near Suicide Point, Raju (Mohanlal) begins explaining how it got its infamous name. However, whatever Raju says, Nimmi (Karthika) responds with sarcasm, playfully pulling his leg.
A suicide took place.
A college beauty. It seems it was due to some love failure. She flew from Madras (now Chennai) to Madurai, took a taxi to jumped, and died,” Raju says, to which Nimmi replies in jest, “Oh, is that so? So this is a famous spot for love failures, huh? Well then, let me try jumping too!” Saying this, Nimmi mischievously makes a move to jump, but Raju suddenly grabs her wrist and pulls her back. “When she felt Raju’s touch, a sense of wonder spread in Nimmi’s eyes. Seeing this, he slowly let go of her hand,” Dennis wrote.
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The director called “cut,” and the entire unit clapped in appreciation for how beautifully the scene had been captured. However, Dennis couldn’t join them, as he was still battling a chill that had just shot down his spine. He was preoccupied with the thought: what if Mohanlal hadn’t quickly grabbed Karthika’s hand and pulled her back when she leaned forward? Wouldn’t a massive tragedy have occurred then and there? He felt as if Karthika’s foot had accidentally slipped. Perhaps it was just his imagination — something no one else noticed, not even Karthika herself.”
Also featuring Suresh Gopi, MG Soman, and Jayabharathi in key roles, January Oru Orma theatrically released on January 25, 1987, and turned out to be a blockbuster, cementing the stardom of both Mohanlal and Karthika in Malayalam cinema. After bidding goodbye to the film industry, Karthika now lives with her family in her hometown of Thiruvananthapuram.
News Edit KV Raman
