He is one film-maker who has tried and proved to be different. And even after 20-22 years in the industry, Jayaraj feels, “I am yet to do my first film!” As you stare at him in disbelief, he breaks into a smile, saying, “I have to go a long way...”
So the release of ‘Naayika’ on November 25 does make him quite excited. The film has been in the news for quite sometime, owing to the subject, the cast and the making as a whole. It tells about a heroine of yesteryear, Gracy. Her rise to stardom, fading into the oblivion and a search to locate her form the crux of the film, which is scripted by Deedi Damodaran.
“The film revolves around this heroine of the 70s and 80s whose whereabouts are not known. Deedi had told me this story long back. In fact, a leading Hindi actress had expressed the desire to do the work, but we had to shelve it later due to some reasons. By that time, we had come out with ‘Gulmohar’. And when Thomas Benjamin approached me saying he wanted to produce a film, I told him about Deedi’s script. Though originally we had planned to do a film on Thomas Hardy’s ‘Tess’, later we decided to move ahead with ‘Naayika’,” says Jayaraj.
And Sarada was his first and only choice to play Gracy. “Because, I have grown up watching her films. Though a non-Malayali, we had treated her as our own. When I told her about the role, she was a bit hesitant since she was not keeping well. But, I told her that I want only her to do the film. And when I narrated the script, she happily agreed.”
Of course, Padmapriya was the natural choice to play young Gracy. “Sarada and Padmapriya have many similar features. Padmapriya was very excited about the role. In between, she had to go to the US. Before she went, she said, “I want to do it and only I will do it.” She was ready for the role. And I also didn’t want anybody else to do the role. Luckily, everything went well.”
Another major role in the movie is that of Jayaram, who plays Anand, an actor of the bygone era. As many would have known by now, his role has been based on that of the evergreen Prem Nazir. “I adore Nazir sir. I haven’t worked with him, but have seen him once. He had come to a function held in Kochi in connection with the success of the movie ‘Vaishali’. I was assistant director of that movie. I told everybody that I wanted to receive memento from him only; that was even announced at the function. I did receive it from him,” says Jayaraj with elan.
And nobody could have carried off the role as beautifully as Jayaram, he believes. “Jayaram is another ultimate fan of Nazir sir. He is a carbon copy when it comes to the mannerisms, dialogue delivery and everything related to actor Prem Nazir.”
But would it have ended up as mimicry, we asked. “Many people had warned me about this. I was also a bit apprehensive, since Jayaram himself had imitated Nazir sir in many movies and on many stages. But, interestingly, those people who saw his work in the movie were all praise for him. They really appreciated the way he has played Anand.”
All said and done, is ‘Naayika’ a real-life tale? “Yes, there are a few real incidents and real characters. Not just the lead lady, there are 2-3 other women characters inspired from real life. As we all know, the film industry has its share of mysteries and secrets. There are many heroines who ended up committing suicide. And the real reason behind that often doesn’t come out.”
The film did throw up a couple of challenges. “One was, making Sarada explore new shades of acting. Something which she hasn’t done before. Another tough task was recreating the 70s-80s era, without compromising on quality and authenticity.”
The songs have been composed by Sreekumaran Thampi and Arjunan Master. One among the four songs is the evergreen song ‘Kasthurimanakkunnallo...’ from the movie ‘Picnic’. The movie has Mamta Mohandas, Jagathy Sreekumar, Sabitha (Jayaraj’s wife) in the cast.
Talking about the lukewarm response to his last film ‘The Train’, he says, “I have learnt to cope up with success and failure. ‘The Train’ was one movie which involved a whole lot of dedication, strain, experimentation and novelty. From the beginning, it was being branded as a Mammootty film. So people had lot of expectations and that proved costly. Somebody recently told me that if I had done it with another actor, the result would have been different.”
And he is among the scores of filmmakers who are upset with the strikes and protests that have plagued the industry. “It has reached its maximum. There is no need of these strikes. There was a time when things went on smoothly. Now, there are too many organisations and associations which have created the worst ever scenario.”