There is one name that I'm associated with in one form or another in the years of my life so far - be it a friend, a neighbour, a hero or a class mate. And that name is "Karthik". My childhood friend who used to be my neighbour is "Karthik". I had another younger friend in my apartment with a similar name "Karthikeyan". In high school, one of my friends who used to be a big fan of cricket, updating me with scores regularly in class hours is "Karthick". As though real characters are not enough, the fictional characters came to the limelight.
My most favorite Tamil movies are Mouna Raagam, Kaadhal Desam and Alai Payuthey. Guess what, the heroes are "Karthik"s. Karthik's character in Mouna Raagam, although it's a guest role is etched in my memory forever. The few scenes between him and Revathy have portrayed beautifully, the playfulness, fun and love. I cannot stand the fact that he gets killed due to unforeseen circumstances.
Kaadhal Desam has two heroes - a poetic, simple and down-to-earth Karthik, a charming and handsome Arun. The short verses that Karthik writes thinking about Dhivya (the heroine) are simple and adorable. Wish I could write such poetry! Madhavan is perfect for the role of Karthik in AlaiPayuthey. Although Indian cinema has seen many movies of the genre "Rich boy falls in love with poor girl", Alaipayuthey is different in its execution and style.
When I thought that association with the name "Karthik" cannot go on for so long, I meet my soul mate whose name is "Karthikeyan". One of my best friends in the past six years is "Karthik" although everyone calls him by another name always.
I'm not sure how many more "Karthik"s I am going to meet in the rest of my life. Although it's a very common name in South India, this irony in my life seems to be interesting.