Jayam Ravi interview: On Iraivan, Kamal Haasan and shedding his family boy image
Actor Jayam Ravi talks about why he decided to do a violent film like 'Iraivan' in which he plays an encounter cop. He also explains what he thinks is a pan-India film
Jayam Ravi, who played the great king Rajaraja Chola with ease in Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus, 'Ponniyan Selvan', is known for his clean family entertainers and films sans violence. But, all that is set to change as the actor, who has starred in popular movies like 'M Kumaran s/o Mahalakshmi', 'Unakkum Enakkum', 'Santhosh Subramaniam', 'Tik Tik Tik' and 'Thani Oruvan', is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film 'Iraivan', a bloody crime thriller.
The trailer of 'Iraivan' also shows that the film has a high violence quotient of the brutal kind. Ahead of the film's release, the actor opens up with the Federal for a long chat.
'Iraivan's target audience is youngsters who have an appetite for watching violence and bloodshed, says Jayam Ravi
On the violence in 'Iraivan'
When Ahmed (the director) narrated the story, I was very sure that the film would get an A certificate from the Censor Board. Though the team tried to convince me that we should go for a UA certificate, I told them that the script demands no compromise and asked them to apply for an A certificate."
My fans are mature enough to see 'Iraivan'
When asked whether he had any qualms about taking up a project which will not attract family audiences, Jayam says, "Well, my fans who saw my first film, ‘Jayam’ (released in 2003), were probably in school at that time and must be either married or a parent themselves. They haven’t seen me in such a dark and gritty thriller before. But, I feel, today, they are at the right age and maturity to watch 'Iraivan'.”
Moreover, he adds that he is clear that the ‘target audience for this film is youngsters who have an appetite for watching violence and bloodshed’.
“After the advent of OTT platforms, many youngsters are open to many genres and they also like crime thrillers and films based on serial killers. I think those audiences will like this film,” he adds confidently.
Kamal sir is a big inspiration
On working on such a dark film after a historical like 'Ponniyin Selvan', which had attracted audiences of all ages, Jayam gives the example of Kamal Haasan.
“Kamal sir had tried a film like 'Sivappu Rojakkal' in the 80s. Actors like him are my inspiration and encourage me to take up the path less travelled,” says Jayam.
Jayam is confident that 'Iraivan' will not disappoint. “I can confidently say that Iraivan is not a bad film. Though the film has a dark tonality, there is a strong underlying emotional core. There are a few surprises that we haven’t revealed in the trailer,” he confesses.
The usual formula
The actor also accepts that 'Iraivan' follows the typical cop chasing serial killer formula but the film will still engage audiences, he promises.
For his role in 'Iraivan', Jayam Ravi met many encounter cops and also tried to understand how they use a psychological approach for criminals.
“Though I had played a cop in films like 'Thani Oruvan', 'Adangamaru', and 'Bogan', my role in 'Iraivan' is a bit serious and you will not even see me smile. Ahmed told me that I should not wear the khaki uniform and I went with that since the director has done his research well for the character,” he says.
Talking about actor Rahul Bose ('Viswaroopam'), who plays the serial killer in the film, Jayam says, “Rahul is a rugby player yet got interested in cinema and pursued it. The way he approaches cinema and his character has been a good learning experience for me. I had multiple injuries due to continuous action films, and he promised to set up a session with a top physiotherapist in Delhi (laughs).”
'Genie' and 'Thani Oruvan 2' are pan-India films
Commenting on the trend of actors announcing their movies as pan-India films, Jayam says, “Well, if you ask me, only certain movies are eligible to be tagged as a pan-India film. The content should be universal. I would call my upcoming film 'Genie' as a pan-India movie but not other films like 'Brother', 'Siren', and 'Iraivan'.”
On diet and exercise regimen.
“ I don’t follow any fast-course diet. I take at least four to five months to transform. With proper guidelines from doctors and my trainers, I transform myself for each film. For example, in 'Siren', I had to look beefed up but for 'Genie', I had to be very fit and slim. I think for an actor such transformations are mandatory,” he shares.
'Thani Oruvan 2'
On 'Thani Oruvan' 2, Jayam says that the film has the potential to be released across the country. “Many people have seen the Hindi dubbed version of 'Thani Oruvan'. The first part was also very popular in Telugu so, yes, the sequel can be released across the country,” he says.
Also, replying to a query on who will play the villain in 'Thani Oruvan 2', Jayam says, “Actually, we are looking for a hero and not the villain. When Arvind Swamy sir played the antagonist in the first part, he hadn’t played a baddie in any of his previous films. This time, we are on the hunt for a hero.”