Overview
Murali Karthikeyan Muthuraman (born 13 September 1960), known by his stage name Karthik, is an Indian actor, playback singer and politician primarily associated with Tamil cinema. He is the son of veteran Tamil actor R. Muthuraman.
Karthik made his screen debut in the Tamil film Alaigal Oivathillai (1981), under the direction of Bharathiraja. He went on to become a lead actor in Tamil cinema and was among the prominent stars in the industry through the 1980s and 1990s. He has also appeared in Telugu films, where he was initially credited as Murali.
Across a career spanning more than 125 films, Karthik has worked in a variety of roles and is referred to within the industry as Navarasa Nayagan, in recognition of his range in portraying different emotions. Apart from acting, he has also worked as a playback singer and has been active in politics.
He has received four Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, a Nandi Award and four Filmfare Awards South for his contributions to cinema.
References
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article on Karthik (actor).