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‘It gave me my family’: Why Jyotika has no regrets about her failed Bollywood debut
After her 1998 Bollywood film Doli Saja Ke Rakhna failed at the box office, Jyotika made the life-changing decision to move to Chennai.
Jyotika recalls leaving Mumbai for Chennai 26 years ago after her debut film flopped at the box office.
Jyotika made her silver screen debut with the Bollywood film Doli Saja Ke Rakhna, directed by Priyadarshan and co-starring Akshaye Khanna. After the romantic drama failed at the box office, she made the life-changing decision to move to Chennai, a move that eventually paved the way for her to become one of the most successful actors in South cinema. In a recent interview, Jyotika reflected on leaving Mumbai for Chennai and returning to the city after 26 years.
During a chat with NDTV, Jyotika described Doli Saja Ke Rakhna as “a very sweet film”, but admitted that its box office failure altered the course of her career. “That’s where I actually went (to Tamil film industry) from Hindi after my first film didn’t do well at the box office. But I believe it (Doli Saja Ke Rakhna) was a very sweet film,” she shared.
The actor praised the Tamil film industry for giving her the strongest roles of her career. “I love Chennai. I think it’s traditional, it has given me my bread and butter, it has given me my family. I have played deaf and mute, I have played blind. I have played every character I could have asked for, so that’s like a God’s gift to me.”
ALSO READ | Sivakumar says he was against son Suriya’s relationship with Jyotika: ‘He threatened to stay single forever’
Jyotika, who has now returned to Mumbai after 26 years, further revealed that Hindi cinema is finally offering her the kind of layered characters she wanted to do earlier. “Now back to Hindi, I am getting very different kinds of roles to play. And I am getting a very warm welcome because of the South. It’s all so interconnected. I am not seeing a difference as such. Just being at the right place at the right time,” she shared.
Talking about everything she missed during her years away from Mumbai, the 47-year-old said, “I love Mumbai. I grew up here. I was born here. I did my schooling here. Even crossing the street in front of my school is nostalgic for me. I love everything about Mumbai, the pani puri, the bhel puri, even speaking Hindi, everything that I missed.”
On the work front, Jyotika is currently busy promoting her upcoming Hindi courtroom thriller System, also starring Sonakshi Sinha. It is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on May 22.
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