I don't need to act to survive: Karthika

In a t��te-��-t��te, Karthika, who is now shooting for Purampokku, opens up about her career, family and her wild side. Excerpts:
You���ve acted in very few films in the past five years. Is that because you are very choosy?
I���m very instinctive about my work and surprisingly, most of the directors I���ve worked with told me that I was their first choice for that role.After debuting with Josh in Telugu in 2009, I got busy with Tamil and Malayalam films. I���ve worked with directors like KV Anand, Bharathirajaa, Boyapati Srinu. I���ve no regrets about going slow in my career. The reason why I���m so choosy is because movies are not my bread and butter; I don���t need to act to survive. I want to earn respect with whatever little work I do and I think I���ve been quite lucky so far.
In an industry obsessed with fair skin, you stand out as one of the very few actresses who are so tall and dusky.
(laughs) I think being dusky is an advantage. It���s the sexiest skin colour there is. When I debuted, a lot of people told me that they were happy to see an Indian face on screen and honestly, cinematographers too love this skin tone as it gives a different dimension to the face. I believe my height and eyebrows are my USP. Without these two, I would be just like any other actress. Because of my height, my frame looks different. (laughs).
We hear you have plenty of action scenes in your next Tamil film Purampokku as well���
I���m a daredevil in that film as well. Since I was playing a tomboyish character in both these movies, I had no idea how to be feminine and I was trying my best to dress as girly as possible in every event I was attending (laughs). I must say that I���ve discovered my wild side only after I began acting in films. While we were shooting for Ko (Rangam in Telugu) in Norway, I pushed my director to let me stand on top of a rock, which was wedged between two cliffs. It was life-threatening, but I really felt that I was going to lose a golden chance if I am not ready to take such risks in life. However, my mother doesn���t really approve it at all. She keeps saying that I need to be more careful and not put my life in danger.
Your mother Radha ruled the roost in the South Indian film industry in the 80s. She must be a hard act to follow?
I don���t think people approach me with roles just because I���m Radha���s daughter. Perhaps, that really was an advantage when I made my debut, but after that, it���s only talent that counts. I have never gone to an acting school and whatever little I know about acting is purely because of my mother and she���s my only guru. After I made my debut in films, the only advice my mother gave me was to place my faith in the directors that I work with and be myself. I���ve a very expressive face and it���s tough for me to be subtle in front of the camera. But I���ve gotten better at controlling my expressions and now, I think I can pull off a comedy role with ease.
Your sister Thulasi is also acting in films now and comparisons are inevitable. Is there a sibling rivalry brewing at home?
Not at all! There���s a huge age gap between the two of us and I���m almost like a mother to her. She looks up to me for moral and emotional support and she���s my first fan. I���m very protective of her. I���ve fought with boys who tried to bully her in school. I was anxious when she was debuting with Kadal, although I must add that she couldn���t have found a better director than Mani Ratnam. Recently, I saw her second film Yaan and I thought she looked stunning on the screen.
You confess that you are a tomboy. Has that made an impact on your love life?
I have a sad and non-existent love life (laughs). I have been a nerd all my life and was a tomboy in college. Most of my guy friends used to treat me like one of them and it���s only now that they are coming to terms with the fact that I���m a girl. Besides, once you become an actress, a lot of people think that you are already taken. Truth is I���m still single!