It was a guest appearance in Tagore(starring Chiranjeevi) that triggered off Jyotika’s new love affair - with Telugu films. Now the actor is on the verge of storming the Andhra bastion with two big projects – one with ‘Superstar’ Chiranjeevi produced by Allu Arvind and another co-starring Nagarjuna produced by Annapoorna Studios.
Jo, the sparkly girl who set the Tamil screen afire with a chemistry all her own, is blasé about this new door opening to showcase her capabilities. “It is a great experience working with Chiranjeevi,” says she, “He is at the sets at 7am sharp, and he’s there before me. He signed me on after I did a small role in Tagore…”
This signals Jyotika’s serious entrée into the Telugu industry and the lady now shuttles between Hyderabad and Chennai, her current hometown. The Tamil industry of course, is of prime concern. She’s working on Manikanda with Arjun and in Mayavi being produced by Bala, with Surya as her hero yet again. This new foray is exciting the actress who says, “Telugu films are different from Tamil. The work on high budgets and my roles seem equal to that of the heroes I am working with. I want to concentrate, do good work and get my kind of roles.”
Ask her if she is following in the footsteps of her elder sibling Nagma and she’s quick to tell you, “I don’t compare myself with Nagma. When she began working in the Tamil industry, she had two huge hits – Baasha and Kaadhalan. I am aware I have a different portfolio and a different image in the industry here.” But the fact remains that Nagma was a very popular heroine in Telugu films and enjoyed the No1 slot there for some years. “Yes, I know that,” says Jo, “But I am not targeting the No1 position at all. I want the audience to like me for myself, just the way they like her.”
Currently Jo holds sway in Tamil, with 25 films to her credit in a span of five years. Isn’t that an achievement, we ask her, especially since survival is more difficult in an industry where new faces abound? Film careers are shorter and heroines are dime a dozen… Jo agrees but makes a point her own, “I would attribute my success to 60% hard work and 40% luck. When I entered the industry, I got a whole host of good roles – Kushi, Mugavari, Thenali and so on… I decided I would concentrate on one language and learn the culture of this state.”
That was the reason, elaborates the actress, why she decided she would live in Chennai rather than shuttling between Mumbai(where she grew up) and the South. But Tamil, confesses Jo, is her real passion. “The cinema here combines reality with a touch of glamour – both elements are blended in beautifully in Tamil films. I like working for Malayalam cinema too – I recently wrapped up a Rajiv Kumar film.”
Ask her whether Bollywood is another celluloid destination and surprisingly, we get a categorical `no’. “I like the films being made here, and I get to pick the roles that would suit me,” says Jo, “Mumbai is not an ambition at all.”
Jo, incidentally, has worked with films in all Southern languages besides the Hindi Doli Sajake Rakhna by Priyadarshan. Now her forthcoming films are Manmathan with Simpu(slated to be out for Diwali) and the Malayalam Sita Kalyanam by Rajiv Kumar with Jayaram as the hero.
Her one regret? “Not having worked with Rajni Sir,” she replies promptly, “If I do get that opportunity, it will be a dream come true.” She adds with a twinkle in her eyes, “I am hearing that there is a Rajni film being made and hope it comes to me.”
So who’s the hero she like working best with? We are unsurprised by the answer. “Suriya,” says Jo sweetly, “I share the best on-screen chemistry with him. We started together with Poovellam Kettupar and since then, it’s been a lasting friendship. He helps me a lot on the sets.” She goes on to reveal that it was Suriya who helped her tone down her initial over-the-top acting towards more natural portrayals. “I learnt to be natural in Kaakha Kaakha(KK) from Suriya,” says she, “90% of my portrayal in that film is because of his help. I thank him for that.” She then confesses that KK and Peralagan were landmark films and have helped her move forward in her career as an actor. “That’s why I share a special on-screen chemistry with him,” says Jo, “It is only after I grew in terms of acting that I worked with all the leading heroes in the industry.”
So now that li’l Jo has grown in so many spheres, will she consider settling down, personally too? Jo laughs as she talks of all the rumours of her marriage that were doing the rounds. “I don’t want to comment on it now,” she says, “But really, if many magazines were to be believed, I should have been married now, many times over, in the past two years.” Films, says the actor, is what obsesses her now, especially the select four that she’s working on in Telugu and Tamil. “There is no question of marriage right now,” she concludes.Rewritten from a report by a film correspondent.
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