Turned down Bollywood offers, want to focus on Kollywood for now: Jiiva

Chennai: A quintessential transformation is what an actor or star craves in the early phase of his career. Actor Jiiva, who debuted in K-town under his home banner, Super Good Films, as a romantic hero, couldn’t be happier after carving a niche for himself in the critically and commercially acclaimed film, Raam.

Since then, the star, blessed with youthful good looks, was approached for a flurry of characters which demanded subtle acting. He didn’t look back, thanks to his penchant for experimentation. Now, after Ko, the much needed blockbuster he got after an array of decent hits, the handsome star is upbeat about Yaan, his upcoming flick which falls under a similar genre the former belongs to.

Tipped as a stylish action flick with grandeur written all over it, the movie marks the directorial debut of Ravi K Chandran, the nationally renowned cinematographer and a name to reckon with among Bollywood and Kollywood filmi circles alike. The actor sat down for a free-wheeling chat with DC against a lush green backdrop on the outskirts of the city.

Clad in a sky-blue half-sleeved shirt, dark blue jeans and sporting a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses, the uber cool actor looked poised and was upbeat while spilling the beans on his career spanning a decade, his chemistry with heroines, tryst with production and more. Jiiva couldn’t hide his excitement about Yaan, a project on which he had pinned high hopes.

He says, “The movie has been in the making for quite some time owing to the director’s adeptness in filmmaking and his skills in judgement. He has a great eye for detail and his immense experience needs no introduction. So, when a person who has worked with the bigwigs of B’town and other doyens of the Indian film industry yearns for perfection and takes time to achieve it, it surely will reap benefits in the long run. Yaan is a slick action thriller made on a rich and large scale. The unmatchable dedication which he has invested on the technical front is sure to be visible to cinegoers. I feel lucky and proud to be associated with Ravi, who has worked with the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, the Khan trio, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Farhan Akhtar, and others.”

Jiiva asserts that Yaan is a youthful movie, shot on exotic locales, which tells the story of a youngster who lands in trouble at a place which is completely unfamiliar to him. How he manages to get away from it despite not knowing the language of the place forms the crux of the story. He informs us that a major schedule of shooting in Morocco and Russia was wrapped up recently and that the entire production of the film would be completed in another 15 days.

Jiiva is happy too that the film showcases him as an urbane hero. This role ensured him a makeover after the numerous rural-based roles he has essayed in the past.

“Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, there were films which depicted flawless heroism, and these were lapped up by film buffs,” says Jiiva. “Later, the industry was abuzz with experimental films which tried natural, neo-realistic styles. In between, I feel there was a time when filmmakers were confused on the approach towards sketching the characterisation of protagonists. However, my character in Yaan has turned out to be a full-fledged hero in every sense.”
Launched as prominent producer R.B. Chowdury’s son, Jiiva, who rose to stardom by donning diverse roles, is now a contented actor, able to have hindsight on the trendsetting films he was associated with. He lists out the characters in E, Kattradhu Tamizh, Siva Manasula Sakthi and Mugamoodi as his widely acclaimed ones and delineates how each of them helped in bringing out the performer in him. Despite Mugamoodi failing to set cash registers ringing, he reveals that those are the kinds of films that he would love to do owing to the ample scope they offer for improvisation.

“The movie deserved a better result at the box office. Nevertheless, the attempt was appreciated and I’m glad for that. I think the audience somehow couldn’t connect with a super hero presented in such a way. There are also films which worked well beyond my expectations. Ko was one such film. The movie had a dream run in both Kollywood and Tollywood box offices — it also drew my attention to the latter, a market which can be explored further. Hence, I’m choosing scripts now keeping different audiences in mind,” Jiiva says.

The actor won applause for his reprisal of Sharman Joshi’s role in 3 Idiots through Nanban and was also seen sharing screen space with Vijay. Earlier this year, he also shook a leg with the Ilayathalapathy in a blink-and-miss role in Jilla. Quiz him whether he will be seen alongside Ajith on the screen, and he says all it takes is a proper script for that to happen.

Prod him on his comfort level with colleagues and his favourite co stars, the Routhiram star quips, “I have a knack for making people comfortable. I gel well with my co stars and share excellent rapport with them. For example, I shared an emotional bond with Saranya and Urvashi during shooting when they played mother roles to me in Kattradhu Tamizh and Siva Manasula Sakthi respectively. I’m good at the art of making warm relations with colleagues. After all, we artistes belong to the same family and there is no question of being comfortable with some people and not with certain others.”

On his home banner Super Good Films which produced several blockbusters in the south, Jiiva says that apart from Tamil, discussions are also under way about making a film in Kannada and Telugu soon.

Karthika Nair, the daughter of yesteryear actress Radha, debuted in tinsel town by pairing opposite Jiiva. Interestingly, her younger sister, Thulasi Nair, is romancing him on screen in her second film. He avers that it was fun working with the sisters and he developed a good rapport with them.

Who was his favourite heroine on screen? He says he has had amazing on screen chemistry with almost all the heroines he has been paired with. From his first heroine Meenakshi to Thulasi, he finds it difficult to name any one in particular. “Everyone was professional and fun loving. Thulasi always looked to me for advice and I think she has evolved as a matured performer. Trisha was a wonderful co-star and thorough professional,” he notes.

Jiiva affirms that he interacts with friends outside the industry which keeps him updated and helps him understand the mindset of audiences. He says, “I get candid responses from them once my movie is released. It helps in self assessment, paving the way to pick scripts more choosily.”

Any plans to grab a ticket to Bollywood? “In fact, I turned down a couple of offers as I wish to concentrate on Kollywood for the time being,” he says. Jiiva is actively into his restaurant business and is also set to start a production company which helms ad films.