On film debut
No one was more surprised than I when I made my film debut. One moment I was preparing to join the Vancouver Film School, and the next I was being screen-tested. Director Ravi Mariya told my dad (producer R B Choudary) that he had been kind enough to introduce new talent, so why not he (Mariya) be given the opportunity to direct a newcomer like me.
The initial failures
My family and friends painted a very compelling picture of fame, fortune and fans, should I take to acting. Barely 18, I found myself acting in ‘Aasai Aasaiyai’ and then ‘Thithikudhe’. Though both were washouts, I enjoyed acting in those films. And then ‘Raam’ happened and suddenly the spotlight was on me. I am happy that in each of my films my roles have been different, though I have not made any conscious effort to seek variety.
Most challenging role?
Without doubt, the role of the psychopath Prabhakar in ‘Kattradhu Tamil’ was the most challenging one to date. From a lively, fun personality, I turned moody and grumpy and even had to resort to therapy. I took off for a long honeymoon to Australia with my wife Supriya once the film was completed. But the film paid off as my performance received stunning reviews, from both critics and the masses alike.
Working with Malayalam Superstar Mohanlal
Acting with a star like Mohanlal in ‘Keerti Chakra’ was another challenge, so much so that I was terribly nervous when I had to shoot my first scene with him. But Mohanlal was so calm and relaxed, that it rubbed off on me.
Still to come...
As for me, close on the heels of ‘Ko’, which was a superhit, comes ‘Rowthiram’, which has a lot of action. ‘Vanthaan Ventraan’ is another film which I am very excited about. It’s a love story with a good script, reading like a ‘road’ film.
Then, there is Shankar’s ‘Nanban’, a remake of the Hindi film ‘3 Idiots’, where I play the character that actor Sharman Joshi played. I also get a chance to play a super hero, probably Tamil cinema’s first, in Mysskin’s ‘Mugamoodi’. There’s also Gautham Menon’s untitled project. But what has me totally charged up is my own production company, Spiral Dreams, with the first film being a ‘Karan Johar’ type.
Sibling Rivalry?
Many have asked me whether I am bothered about competition from home. The answer is ‘no’, for the simple reason that our interests don’t overlap—I want to be recognised as an actor first and want to do good, meaningful films, while my brother Ramesh is happy to milk the commercial film’s formula for all it is worth.
Titles and prefixes
Every actor worth his salt has a title here, a prefix. But no prefixes or suffixes for me, please.
If Hollywood calls
Should I ever get a chance to act in Bollywood or Hollywood, I don’t want people there having fun at my expense (laughs)!
Jiiva is a Tamil actor.