I'm not in any clique: J Karthik

Nothing more should be read into his friendship with Sudeep, says actor J Karthik
He's been in films for just over two years, but engineer-turned-actor J Karthik already has close to a dozen films to his credit, always as the bad boy.
Starting with Deadly 2 and other films like Johnny Mera Naam, Jarasandha, Kempegowda and the upcoming Varadhanayaka, among others, the actor has been happy getting all menacing on screen.'Right from Deadly 2, the roles I got have always been those of the antagonist. I have no complaints as none of my roles has gone unnoticed,' says Karthik, adding, 'In Varadhanayaka, I play one of the main villains ' a complete psycho. I'm worried about the audience's reaction to my character in the film. Sudeep's fans will not like the way I handle him onscreen.'
While on the topic of Sudeep, it seems the obvious thing to ask Karthik about his relationship with the senior actor. They've done two films and a couple of stints on the celebrity cricket league together, and are seen in each other's company at events. There's a perception in Sandalwood that Karthik is part of the Sudeep clique, in an alleged effort to be pitted against a popular film family.
Won't this affect him adversely? 'Sudeep and I are good pals. There's nothing more to that. If there was, I would be in all his films,' laughs Karthik, adding, 'There was a time when I worried if my relationship with Sudeep affected my film career. I'd been offered a role in Shivarajkumar's Shiva. But then, Sudeep and Shivanna had an altercation at a cricket match in Hubli, and the makers of the film told me that the role was no longer available and gave it to someone else. Months later, they offered me another role in the film. People have realized that just because I'm friends with someone doesn't mean I'm a part of a clique.'
And Karthik would rather that people concentrate on his professional life than his personal life. 'I play villain in Tharun Chandra's Pade Pade,' he says. Doesn't he aspire to be the good boy for a change? 'I play one of the lead roles in director D Rajendra Babu's Kuchiku Kuchiku. This will be my first non-negative role,' laughs the actor.