Chennai, Oct 26 (IANS): Showering praise on producer Lakshman Kumar, who has produced his recent film 'Sardar' which has become a hit, actor Karthi said that he was a relieved man as Lakshman, who is his childhood friend, had taken a huge risk for the film, trusting just the hard work of the unit.

Speaking at the success meet of the film, Karthi said: "People have been asking me if I am happy now that the film has emerged a hit. I reply that I am peaceful and relieved.

"People say it is very important to have good friends. If you look at producer Lakshman and me, we are classmates from kindergarten."

"He is someone who enjoys seeing me succeed. I have seen every single day the amount of stress and pressure he took upon himself for this film. But he never showed it out."

"There would be major issues going on, for instance, if the day's call sheet extends by a night, the budget would shoot up by over 40 lakhs. But still, in front of me, producer Laxman would keep sporting a smile."

"I would be scared at the amount of stress he was taking upon himself. I need my friend by my side. I would keep telling him not to take so much stress. But now, I think he has learnt to handle it. He has worked in a big company and got into production after resigning from his job. So, I guess he has learnt to handle pressure. He took such a big risk trusting all our work and I am happy for him."