Jai has come a long way from his debut film Bagavathi (2002), in which he plays Vijay’s brother Guna. It has been 21 years since then and the actor has dabbled in varied roles in his films including the lead, a supporting actor and a villain. As he awaits the release of his sophomore web series Label, directed by Arunraja Kamaraj, he shares that he has always actively wanted to shatter the ‘labels’ surrounding him.
“When I did Bagavathi, everyone told me I looked like Vijay’s brother but my close friends and family knew who I was inside. They told me I lacked the focus and was an amateur in the film. I came back to acting to break that ‘label’, and earned a good name once Subramaniapuram (2008) was released six years later,” he recalls.
Jai has been consciously seeking new and exciting opportunities to enhance his calibre as an actor. “I was elated to do Chennai 600028 and Subramaniapuram back-to-back since they were contrasting storylines. Ever since I did Atlee’s Raja Rani (2013), I avoided working on similar stories. I was looking at acting in diverse and challenging roles.”
Jai shares that delivering his best for a film and not being disturbed by its results pushes him forward despite the failures in his career. “If you taste success too often, it would be very difficult to handle failures. I understood that very early in my career when two of my films flopped post-Subramaniapuram. I couldn’t handle that. It is important to be grounded always. I don’t let the successes in my journey get to my head either. Blockbusters like Engeyum Eppodhum (2011) or Raja Rani (2013) didn’t affect my attitude in any way. I just went to work on my next project,” he says. The Vaamanan (2009) actor has a long-pending wish to play a warrior on screen and is looking for a suitable script. “I loved watching the flashback portion of Rajamouli’s Magadheera (2009). Ever since I watched it, I have been wanting to take up such a role,” he shares.
Label has him donning the lawyer’s black robe for the first time. Jai’s character rises in ranks from a particular area and fights to overcome the identity that society has labelled him with based on where he comes from. “I watched a couple of legal drama films to understand the idea behind the story. At the same time, I also looked at how differently I can portray this role and make it better while aligning with the script. My research will be limited to understanding the character and the story. Everything else is taken care of in the sets. Once you do a lot of homework, your mind will become rigid. It won’t be flexible enough to match the director’s thoughts and vision,” he says, adding that even his famous ‘Towel go, Towel come’ line from Venkat Prabhu’s Goa (2010) was a dialogue that he came up with on the spot.
Jai believes that films and web series these days have the potential to start the right conversation among the people and projects like Label, which stands for equality will create a change in society. “Films are not just restricted to providing entertainment anymore. Likewise, creators can’t just fit a few songs and a comedy track and safely get away with the box office collections. Although people are still fond of old-school entertainment, they are open to exploring various themes that interest and educate them,” he notes.
Jai feels that it is imperative to smash stereotypes regarding people from different communities, regions, and religions. “I have friends from North Madras who have studied well and are working in well-paid jobs, but the stereotypes still exist. Even I have held onto similar thoughts regarding certain religions. Label will serve as an eye-opener and will showcase the other side of North Madras,” he says.
With the series expected to also delve into politics of the marginalised, Jai, quoting Rajinikanth from Annamalai (1992), opines that politics is a holy job and it shouldn’t be contaminated. “A politician’s job is vital to society and not every politician is a bad person. It is necessary to look beyond that ‘label’,” he says, and goes on to contradiction in the minds of our audience.”They do not wish to watch an all-angelic hero but are rather excited by a grey-shaded protagonist.”
Explaining the decision to work with director Arunraja, he says, “I wanted to work with him in his first film Kanaa (2018) but it didn’t materialise. When Label came to me, I knew that it was a pertinent series which needed to be made. As an actor, I would want to do more projects like these, but having said that, I also don’t want to be typecast into doing such roles.”
Apart from Label, Jai will be seen in Nilesh Krishnaa’s Annapoorani alongside Nayanthara where he will play a chef. “It will be a female-centric film and my character is the backbone for the titular role played by Nayanthara. We play childhood friends in it,” he reveals. Next up he has Karuppar Nagaram with Aramm director Gopi Nainar awaiting release. Meanwhile, Jai the car racer is also gearing up to participate in the MRF tournament in 2024.
Jai firmly believes that his best as an actor is yet to come. “I want to give my full potential to various aspects of acting like – comedy, emotion, and action. I haven’t been completely satisfied with any of my performances to date. So, the pursuit is still on,” he signs off with a smile.