That Karthik Subbaraj is a huge fan of Mani Ratnam is evident in a good number of scenes in Jigarthanda. While the comparison between him and Mani Ratnam looms large, Karthik feels it is a bit too much to digest. “Mani Ratnam is my biggest inspiration. If you see, in Jigarthanda, there are many references to his name and his films. I don’t know whether he watched Pizza, but I actually wanted him to watch this film. After the release, I got a message from him appreciating my work. I was happy just seeing that message,” explains Karthik.
He’s currently working on his next, a love story. Karthik also clarifies on rumors that Vijay Sethupathi was the first choice to play Simha’s character but later ignored. “I wrote the script of Jigarthanda much before Pizza released. I had Vijay Sethupathi in mind for Sethu’s role at that time. In fact he was initially cast for Sethu’s character and Simha for Karthik’s (Siddharth) role. But later things didn’t quite work out. We will definitely work together in future,” clarifies Karthik in an interview to a daily.