Jayaram, who predominantly works in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films, brings his 36 years of experience to Kannada cinema with the upcoming film, Ghost.
In a conversation with CE, he expressed his excitement, saying, “After years of anticipation, I finally made my Kannada debut. It all began with a chance encounter with Shivarajkumar last year at a jewellery festival event during Dasara. We discussed the project, and I expressed my desire to enter Kannada cinema with his film. Now, here I am. While this isn’t my first Kannada film opportunity, Ghost stood out as something special.”
This multilingual actor is currently juggling between Trivikram-Mahesh Babu’s film and Shankar-Ram Charan’s project. He’s also excited about an upcoming film with Nani, which is set to release on December 7. At this moment, he’s gearing up to watch the FDFS of Ghost with Shivanna and fans at a midnight screening on October 19 in Bengaluru.
Despite his extensive body of work in different languages, Jayaram’s enthusiasm remains unwavering. “With each new generation and new technicians, seasoned actors like us may feel a bit apprehensive. The fear persists until the first shot is taken, and the director approves, especially when working in languages other than Malayalam and Tamil,” he says.
In his role as ACP Changappa in Ghost, Jayaram took the initiative to dub his voice for the Kannada dialogues. “This time, I learned my Kannada dialogues and provided my own voice, with some fine-tuning done by Srini in Hyderabad. After hearing my voice during dubbing, Shivanna called and praised it, giving his approval,” says Jayaram, as he also acknowledged Shivanna’s fandom and simplicity.
An actor from an industry renowned for its intellectual technicians and quality films, Jayaram reminisces, “I began in 1987 and worked with legendary directors, some of whom cast me repeatedly in their ventures. It was during the period from the 1980s to 2010 when I traveled with work, regardless of the success or failure of the projects. In between, I got to venture into various languages.”
When asked about working with new-age directors, Jayaram praised their dedication. He shared an example of working with director Srini in Ghost, saying, “He provided a single page of Kannada dialogues. Being an actor himself, I asked Srini to act and demonstrate, which greatly aided in understanding the character. I admire the dedication of young directors. From my end, I am on a constant quest for fresh and innovative experiences.”
Additionally, Jayaram expressed his excitement about his upcoming Malayalam film, Abraham Ozler, which he says is made on a grand scale with an extensive star cast, and will be released in December.