Iraivan will stick to its genre, says Jayam Ravi
Jayam Ravi is in his element as he talks to us about his recently-released psycho thriller flick Iraivan which was certified ‘A’. The actor also clarifies on why he wouldn’t take the pan-Indian tag for granted.
Actor Jayam Ravi
CHENNAI: In a dark blue blazer and a white t-shirt, Jayam Ravi looks dapper as usual. He is all smiles as we compliment him. He was shooting for Siren when we met him during the Ponniyin Selvan 2 promos and sported a salt-and-pepper-look. Now, he has lost weight and is back to his black hair and trimmed beard look. “I have lost weight for Genie. But I am conscious of how I do it. I don’t go on a crash diet and lose/gain weight in a quick span of time. Once I listen to a script, I take time to get in shape for the project,” he tells us.
His latest film Iraivan opened to positive response on Thursday. The film has been certified ‘A’, which is a first for the actor in his two-decade career. When we tell him he has amassed a loyal fan base among kids, he says, “How old were you when Jayam released? Now you qualify to watch an ‘A’ rated film. My fans are predominantly your age and above that. I have done films like Miruthan, Tik Tik Tik and Ponniyin Selvan for the audience of all ages and sections. Iraivan is strictly for the mature audience. I also have other films that are lined up for kids as well in the near future. When I think about what happened on the sets, I still could laugh about it. Whenever I told Ahmed that the film is for the mature audience, he constantly denied it.”
Comedy is Ahmed’s forte and spilling the beans on them coming together for a psycho thriller, Ravi opens up, “He met me with a few scripts. Apart from Iraivan and Jana Gana Mana, he had a script which would have me as a dreaded gangster and even designed my looks, ensuring that I don’t look like any of my previous films. But we chose Iraivan because it will stick true to its genre. I play Arjun, an encounter cop, who is known for his impatience at work. For this, I met a few cops, who are still with the police department.”
Jayam Ravi is not known for giving a pan-Indian tag for his movies despite doing films like Thani Oruvan and Ponniyin Selvan. “I know that I am doing my films for the Tamil audience. However, I know that Genie, for its story and magnanimity will be a pan-Indian film,” he clarifies. On a concluding note, the actor says that Thani Oruvan 2 is in pre-production. “We are looking out for a hero for the film. I am just a part of the project,” he quips.
