By Sivakarthikeyan opens up about battling depression after his father’s demise: The applause and cheers from my audience healed me.
Sivakarthikeyan is celebrating the success of his recent film, Amaran, and he recently attended the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. During the event, the actor reflected on a challenging period in his life, revealing how he “almost fell into” depression as a teenager after losing his father. His father, who worked as a jail superintendent, tragically lost his life in the line of duty in the early 2000s when Sivakarthikeyan was just 17.
At the festival, Sivakarthikeyan explained how his father’s death deeply affected him. He shared that he struggled to cope but found solace in his work. “The applause and cheers from my audience became my therapy,” he stated. He also highlighted his lifelong passion for cinema and his dream of entertaining people through his performances.
Recounting his journey to becoming an actor, the Ayalaan star revealed that it started during his college days while studying engineering. His friends encouraged him to perform on stage, where he discovered his knack for entertaining audiences and took his first steps toward acting.
Rajkumar Periasamy directed Amaran, and Kamal Haasan produced it. The film has achieved significant success, earning approximately ₹300 crore at the box office. It stars Sai Pallavi in a key role and tells the story of the late Major Mukund Varadarajan and his wife, Indhu Rebecca Varghese. Based on the book series India’s Most Fearless: True Stories of Modern Military Heroes by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh, the movie portrays Major Mukund’s bravery. The government posthumously honored Major Mukund with the Ashoka Chakra. The film premiered in theaters on October 31.
