After graduating in Computer Science from the Institute of Aeronautical Engineering, Karthik aimed to become a director and tried to enter the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune, but could not make it. He then decided to try cinematography as an alternative and enrolled himself in Rajeev Menon's Mindscreen Institute for a year-long course. Later, he directed a short film titled Infinity, which featured Harshvardhan Rane in the lead role. It drew critical acclaim with celebrities like Farhan Akhtar appreciating Karthik's work. This appreciation resulted in him meeting Pavan Sadineni and both of them collaborated on Prema Ishq Kaadhal, which marked both of their feature film debuts.