He’s the tall, fair and handsome hunk whom girls would love to take home to their mommies. And this summer, Jeyam Ravi, the lover boy of Kollywood is coming out with his charming best Kalpathi S Aghoram’s Engeyum Kadhal. Though his last release, Thillalangadi, sank at the box office, the lanky heartthrob is sure that Engeyum Kadhal will sweep women off their feet and raise the temperatures this summer! Getting candid about the film, which stars Hansika Motwani and is directed by Prabhu Deva, Jeyam Ravi get ready to spill the beans…
“My character is called Kamal. He is a sort of playboy who doesn’t believe in love,” he epxlains. “He’s a successful businessman in Chennai whose serious about his work but who also believes that life is all about having fun. That’s why he takes off every year for a holiday abroad. During one of his trips to France, he meets the heroine Hansika. But since he doesn’t believe in love and she does, what happens next is the story!”
Written and directed by Prabhu Deva, the film was largely shot in France and is a feel-good romantic story. Ravi sports a classy look and reveals “All the outfits were bought abroad and styled by Nalini Sriram. So you will see a different me in the film.”
The actor is all praises for his co-star, Hansika Motwani. “She was a child artiste in Hindi and a successful heroine in Telugu. Hansika is naturally talented. She plays a bubbly girl on screen and in real life too she is the same!” he smiles.
Shooting with a director like Prabhu Deva who is a legendary dancer himself, can give any actor anxious moments during the song sequences. But Ravi is all praise for his director, “The song shoots were tough and were choreographed by Brinda and Sridhar. I was a bit tense, but Prabhu Deva put me completely at ease.”
So did he pick up any tips from the ace choreographer? Ravi replies, “He didn’t give me any tips but encouraged me to come up with my own style of dancing.” In the music album by Harris Jayaraj, which is rocking the charts already, Ravis admits that it’s the Lolita number which is his favourite.
The 45-day shoot in France was the highlight of Ravi’s experiences. “The French are very friendly and know a lot about our country.” Interestingly, Je t’aime which is French for ‘I love you’, are the words he picked up quite easily in Paris.
What are Ravi’s thoughts on love? “Love is a feeling which has to be felt by all human beings. It makes human beings human,” he says. Now those seem like words spoken from the heart, considering Ravi married his long time lady love Aarthi. It’s no surprise then that the actor took time off from work to shop for his wife and son, Aarav, in the fashion capital, Paris.
With Engeyum Kadhal readying for a summer release, Jeyam Ravi is already onto his next film Aadhi Bhagavan, directed by Ameer. Playing a gangster and sporting a new look, Ravi is hiding from from shutterbugs as per Ameer’s instructions.
He says working with Ameer is a great learning experience. “Ameer is very clear about what his character is like and brooks no changes. Working with him is like learning in a completely new institution from what I am used to. He has his distinct style and takes his own time to get things just right.”
From lover boy to gangster — looks like Ravi is busy with new roles and challenges. “Yes, I want to experiment with my roles. Doing realistic films and acting under new directors are high on my wish list,” he adds.