He hails from Karaikudi. His parents are Thiru Pala. Chinna Karuppaiah and Thirumathi Nagammai. Karu Palaniappan is the eldest among their 3 children.Books appealed to Palaniappan right from childhood. His dad Chinna Karuppiah, a trader is an ardent reader. He showed interest in reading classics of popular writers like Kannadasan, Jayakanthan, and Ashokamithran. Following the saying ‘Like father like son’ Palaniappan inherited this ‘love of reading’ from his father right from childhood.His sustained reading and movie-watching with zest and zeal created an affiliation to cinema within Palaniappan, thus inspiring his first toddler steps into Kollywood in 1994. Though he is acclaimed as director Parthiban’s protégé, Palaniappan worked under two other directors. With Mr. Parthiban he worked in Pullakuttikaaran (Parent) and House full.