Actor Karthikeya Gummakonda, making his Tamil debut with Ajith-starrer ‘Valimai’, on playing an unpredictable antagonist

When actor Kartikeya Gummakonda discusses his new Tamil film Valimai (dubbed in Telugu by the same name), scheduled to release on February 24, he occasionally slips into Tamil, a language he learnt for the film. “I have noticed that when an actor is unfamiliar with the language of a film, sometimes the performance doesn’t measure up. I did not want that to happen to me. I started learning Tamil from a few of my friends and then on the sets of Valimai,” he says. He gave Tamil dubbing a shot but ultimately the makers decided to go with a dubbing artiste: “It is a rooted character and there were Tamil lines that had to sound like how a native would speak. I dubbed for the Telugu version though.”

He has been fielding questions from the media in Chennai and Hyderabad in the last few days, and if there is any fatigue, he does not show it: “All of us in the team have waited for more than two years to bring the film to the audience,” he says with a beaming smile.

A tale of two antagonists

Kartikeya had watched director H Vinoth’s 2017 film Khakhee (Telugu version of Theeran Adhigaram Ondru) and recalls being blown away by the meticulous research and storytelling: “I was a struggling actor. I told my friends that if I get a chance to work with this director, I would agree without listening to the script. I made that statement about two directors — Vikram Kumar and Vinoth — and incidentally, both of them cast me as an antagonist,” he laughs, referring to Vikram Kumar’s Gang Leader.

Kartikeya was intrigued when Vinoth offered him the part of an antagonist. He knew it wouldn’t be a regular masala film: “There are several layers to the character. Gang Leader was straightforward where the guy wanted to be a racer.” 

A fitness enthusiast, Kartikeya upped his training routine for Valimai and would often pump it up on the sets with dumbbells. “I had to look more toned, sport tattoos, hair colour and biker clothes… the physical transformation also helped me understand the psyche of my character.” 

Valimai’s filming schedule faced delays during the pandemic and all through it, Kartikeya had to stay super fit: “No one knew when we would be back on the sets and when I would have to do shirtless scenes. So being extremely fit became my lifestyle.”

He had discussions with Vinoth to understand his character’s motives and enjoyed exploring the darker side: “There are limitations when I act as a hero. Unless the character has grey shades, I cannot explore certain traits. My part in Valimai has a certain unpredictability and that gave me the liberty to try something new.”

Actor Kartikeya Gummakonda in ‘Valimai’

Decoding Ajith

Invariably, the conversation veers towards Ajith Kumar and Kartikeya says there were plenty of takeaways from Ajith’s approach to work and life: “Beyond box office success, Ajith sir wants a film to further the careers of everyone involved. He does not interfere with the director’s vision; many of us, including me and Huma Qureshi ma’am, have strong roles. Ajith respects actors and technicians and makes them feel important in the way he talks to them. He used to call me hero ‘garu’ and we had great conversations.”

Action sequences were mounted on a large canvas and Kartikeya, who already has a penchant for action-oriented films, got first-hand experience of working in a film where the stakes are high as well as the facilities for stunt sequences. 

Tamil film offers have been coming his way but he wants to tread cautiously: “Perhaps I can take up a bilingual film. I will decide after the release of Valimai. For now, there are a few Telugu projects.”

Among his recent Telugu films, Chaavu Kaburu Challaga placed him in a story that was different from his earlier films and despite the good pre-release buzz, the film evoked lukewarm response in theatres, but garnered appreciation on digital streaming. He admits it was disappointing: “I came to terms with it in a few days. I cannot complain if one odd film does not do as well as I expected it to. I am living my dream, acting in films, and am grateful for it.”

Actor Kartikeya Gummakonda in ‘Valimai’

Books to movies

Kartikeya had a strict regimen in school days, with tuition classes following school. He was allowed to watch only one film a week: “That was my only entertainment. In between tuition classes, I would playact for fun in front of the mirror.” 

It was while studying B.Tech in NIT Warangal that he participated in dance and plays and honed his skills towards an acting career: “A friend also pointed out that I needed to work on my physique. I wasn’t fit by any standards, thanks to the hours of sitting and studying till then.”

His decision to choose an acting career was met with trepidation at home. With time, his parents relented seeing his determination: “My father gave me a tight hug after watching Rx 100. Seeing me on screen and in a character that required me to die made him emotional.”