In my second journey, I am getting good scripts and I choose the best among them. Only in this segment of my career have I met a lot of men who give the right kind of respect to women and treat them well,” Jyothika remarked at the promo meet of her upcoming film. In Raatchasi, she plays a no -nonsense government teacher on a mission to revamp government schools. “I am so proud to be part of this project and very lucky to be face of the film which has a larger social message,” she says.
The actress seemed to be peeved when people commented on social media that Raatchasi’s theme is not something new. “I am not in twitter, but I get to know all from Suriya’s page. They call me ‘Lady Samuthirakani’.
“When there are umpteen number of big commercial films made, which I was also part of, and where the same story is churned out in different ways — with the same kind of expressions and hero romancing two to three heroines and end with a typical climax — no one complains about it. Why now?”
“Why do they say Raatchasi is like Pallikkoodam or Saattai which revolved around government schools. Even if you make 100 films with this concept, it is not enough, because such movies are the need of the hour. It emphasises something important to the society we live in. And apparently, director Gowthamraj has given a totally different approach. And you would see a different performance of mine” she asserted.
Heaping praise on GenY directors (particularly on Gowthamraj she said, “They talk with a lot of clarity. Without mixing artistes’ image or business the film will make, Gowtham narrated the script in a mature manner. I have never worked the way they work, even when I was doing bigger films.”
Recalling the words of her daughter Diya’s school headmistress, Jo said, “If you reach the peak of the mountain and look down, you may call it success, but it is not an achievement. The journey you go through while climbing the mountain, meeting good people, satisfaction and comfort and the enormous experiences — those matter a lot. I am applying that to my mind even after five years and work accordingly. Today I am very contented, being a woman, an actor and an amma, And I feel this a big achievement in my life.”
Ask her if the film would create a buzz among the public and she says, “The very purpose of the film is to bring awareness and yes it will be an eye opener.”
Poornima Jayaram, who will be seen in a crucial role in Raatchasi, producer Prabhu, Gowthamraj, Bharathi Thambi and Sean Roldan were present on the occasion. The movie hits the screens on July 5.
