Jyotika says she and husband Suriya leave their stardom outside the door at home: ‘Only our children and their dabbas get prominence there’

My journey is nothing but growth. Whenever I have thought I need growth as an actor, I have switched languages. I have always chosen my films according to characters which have been different from me and especially in the last decade, which has been extremely different for me as a personality and which resonate with the people. So I feel growth is a factor which is persistent to my thought process.

What attracted you to Dabba Cartel?

I would say what is it that would not attract me to Dabba Cartel? Everything about it was extremely special. Firstly, the banner, Excel Entertainment, they are known for creating some of the best web series. The content is always top priority. Varuna is a character I think I haven’t played before. It’s very very close to me and I think a common woman will resonate with it. So I just fell in love with Varuna’s character as I heard it.Then there was one more major incentive.

 

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What was that?

Definitely the stalwart actress Shabana Azmi Ma’am. I don’t think anyone would think twice before wanting to stand and share a frame with her. Not only is she such a brilliant actor but she is also such a magnanimous personality; you feel so empowered just standing next to her. Her entire thought process and the way she works and even today at her age, she makes every effort in providing her 100% to the character. I saw a language therapist with her at shoot and I was just seeing the small nuances and how dedicated she is even now. Even if you have a teleprompter, she doesn’t refer to it. She still prefers mugging her lines and saying them with absolute emotion. So it was a treat to be sharing screen space with her.

You shared screen space with another very talented actress in Dabba Cartel?

Definitely ,with the most talented Nimisha Sajayan.I have always loved her work and The Great Indian Kitchen is one of my favourite works of hers. So sharing screen space with her, with my South buddy actor in a Hindi web series was again extremely special. I made great friends with Anjali Anand and Shalini Pandey at shoot and I think all of us had a blast. I think even Anjali and Shalini are such talented actors and nothing like coming with the best actors onboard. I think just standing with all of them makes us a better actor. So I had a great experience. As I said, growth is always about working on good subjects , good characters and with good actors. So there was no reason not to be doing Dabba Cartel.

Which among your wonderful film is your favourite?

I have experimented with a lot of roles actually, but I feel Mozhi is one of my favourite films where I play a deaf and mute girl. I just love that film. It’s a milestone film for me. And there are a couple of films in my second innings — 36 Vayadhinile which means at the age of 36. And there is another one called Raatchasi where I play the principal of a government school. There is another film where I played a lawyer, it is called Ponmagal Vandhal.

These all very impressive performances?

There are a lot of iconic films of mine which have portrayed me in very different shades. I do like myself in my two recent Hindi films, even though they were not protagonists. I do like my role of a mom in Shaitaan. I found her to be a very powerful mother. I do love my role in Srikanth where she is the wind beneath Srikanth’s wings. I feel Hindi is also offering me some great work. So extremely happy with the growth.

How different is the OTT as compared with a feature film?

Definitely longer hours of work in the OTT format, but it’s very interesting. We shoot about 5-8 scenes in a day. And it’s quite similar to the South style of working. When I do women-centric films, which are made at a certain budget, we also work in the same format. So it seemed quite similar to working there. And the pace is great and it’s always nice to finish a film or a series quickly.

You actually started your career in Hindi, then why did you quickly gravitate towards Tamil cinema?

I did start my career with the Hindi film Doli Saja Ke Rakhna that was directed by Priyadarshan, and had the great actor Akshaye Khanna. But yes the film didn’t do too well, and I didn’t get a lot of work in Hindi. In fact, I got no work at all. While I was shooting Doli Saja Ke Rakhna, I signed up for a South film. It was my first film in Tamil with my husband Suriya. And yeah, it didn’t fare too well either but people recognised my work and I started getting a lot of films in South. After 27 long years, there was suddenly a fusion of Hindi and South films. And so work is just being divided amongst all the actors equally.

What is it like having two superstars under one roof? Do you and Suriya leave together for shooting with your dabbas?

I guess we leave the superstardom outside the door when we enter home. There, we are just parents of our kids. And yeah, the dabbas… definitely the prominence is given to our children. It’s more about what’s going in their school dabbas in the morning. One dabba leaves early morning at 6 o’clock with him to school while the younger one’s food goes at lunch time at 12. So the discussions are more about what they are eating and how we are packing their food and sending it. So absolutely we are parents at home, superstardom stays outside.

 

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Any regrets about not pursuing your career in Hindi?

I was extremely happy in the South. I have done some of my best roles there and I could only be glad that I was part of South films. Because I’m not sure if I had probably got those roles if I had worked in Hindi. In fact I was married and stopped working at 28 and then got back to films when I was 35. And I did see a lot of prominent roles coming up my way in Tamil where I played the protagonist. And here I am in Hindi now where I am again receiving a very warm welcome. So no complaints. I am very happy with the way the career has shaped.

After a soulful performance in Dabba Cartel what do we see you in next?

My forthcoming film is with director Ashwini Iyer.