Mumbai, Nov 19 (IANS): Indian actor Karthik Sivakumar, professionally known as Karthi, is a name that needs no introduction. The actor, who was most recently seen in the Mani Ratnam magnum opus 'Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1', considers the director his mentor and was ready to take up any role in the film - even of a horse - because he didn't want to miss his chance of working with the director,known for films like 'Roja', 'Bombay', 'Guru' and 'Yuva' among several others.

Sharing his thoughts on 'Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1' and how he was cast, he said: "'Ponniyan Selvan', the name itself has a huge identity for the Tamil Diaspora. People have owned this novel (the film is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by author Kalki) and resonated with its characters. The particular book has been relevant for a long time, is still having massive fandom and is a best seller with exhibitions every year."

Continuing further, he said: "Great filmmakers have aspired to make it into a movie and it has been elusive. Finally, Mani Ratnam completed the task. I received a phone call saying that Mani sir would like to meet me and that he wants me to play a part in this movie. I walked into his office which is when he offered me the role of Vandiyathevan. Who would say no to that!? I was ready to even play a horse in the film if Mani Sir wanted me to do it. He is my guru."

The actor, speaking with IMDb also spoke about his blockbuster film 'Kaithi' as he said: "'Kaithi' is definitely one of the important films in my career. It came to me as a small idea but the moment I listened to it, I knew it was a big action film. We did a lot of research to design Dilli, the main protagonist. Since he became the saviour of the cops, I think his look had to be as simple and as unassuming as possible."

He further mentioned: "Through our research we knew that prisoners do not want to get noticed, so they never look the person in the eyes and speak. The sky is their only connection with nature because they're born between walls."

Recollecting a viral eating scene of his character Dilli in Kaithi that sparked a meme fest, he added: "I think he only had to have sambar rice for all three meals of all 10 years. And when he finally has biryani, it became an iconic scene for this film. The action of the film, the choreography, direction, music and emotional aspects made Kaithi a very memorable film and I'm so glad it turned out that way. I can say that a sequel is on the cards and hopefully we'll start filming next year."