Meet the boy who played Karthi & SK’s younger versions

At the age of 15, child artiste Akshay Krishna is navigating the highs and lows of cinema. Having played the younger version of Karthi in Vaa Vaathiyaar and Sivakarthikeyan in Don (his debut) and Madharaasi , he shares, “I’m happy I got to work with prominent directors like AR Murugadoss sir, Cibi Chakaravarthi sir and Nalan Kumarasamy sir. It’s a huge opportunity.”Each of his films, Akshay shares, demanded a different approach. “I haven’t tried to exactly enact the mannerisms of the actors whose childhood I’m playing. In Madharaasi , the focus was on pulling off the psychological disorder (Fregoli delusion).”His last release, Vaa Vaathiyaar , opened to a mixed response. He admits that the negative talk around the film affected him, but adds, “I consider moving past it and succeeding step by step as the challenge. Every film will receive praise and criticism. If it’s valid, we’ll have to accept it.” Akshay, who is currently in tenth grade, says, “It was difficult balancing acting and studies at first but I’ve now got used to it.”