'Sudeep inspires the team in a nice way'

Jayaram Karthik, fondly called J Karthik or JK wasn’t born into a family of actors. He started out as in a regular nine-to-five job with a multinational company until television serial Ashwini Nakshatra came calling. That mega serial pitch forked him into many roles. 

Today, Jayaram Karthik is not only remembered for some of his challenging roles in cinema but for his extraordinary performance as a cricketer with the ‘Karnataka Bulldozers’ team during the Celebrity Cricket League and now he has been hand-picked by Sudeep to play in the forthcoming Karnataka Premiere League as well.

 “Acting and playing cricket on the side has definitely been stressful but I enjoy balancing both. It has not only challenged me as an actor but has also made me a stronger person,” says Jayaram Karthik.  

He has been busy training for the forthcoming KPL match. “Our team ‘Rockstars’ is pitted against cricketers like Vinay Kumar and Manish Pandey. The training, unlike CCL, is rigorous. Sudeep is the captain of the team and his determination to win has rubbed onto the rest of us as well. He inspires the team in a nice way. His cajoling brings out the best in each one of us,” he shares.  

Jayaram Karthik confesses that his transition from the small screen to the big one wasn’t as tough as he thought it would be. “My stint in television and my negative role in Ashwini Nakshatra taught me a great deal about acting itself. It’s tougher to shoot for the small screen. You don’t have the luxury of time when you are working for television,” he says.  He is currently working on an extended version of Ashwini Nakshatra which will run into a two-hour episode. “I’ve been shooting day and night to complete this particular project,” he adds. There’s also ‘Bangalore 23’ where he plays the lead role and in ‘Care of Footpath 2’, he slips into the role of a cop. “It’s an interesting role where I play a cop and take on a group of kids who conspire to take revenge on me. It deals with juvenile justice, which I think is more relevant today than ever before,” he notes. 

Jayaram Karthik confesses that every new project has a humbling effect on him. “There’s a lot of uncertainty in the life of an actor. One has to work really hard and prove one’s worth to stay afloat in the film industry,” he sums up.