Thursday May 24 2007, Chennai

Jyothirmayi: “Glamour is for entertainment”

“‘Jyothi’ in Sanskrit means a ‘light’.Jyothirmayi means someone who is full of light”, said the young actress with a laughter that truly spread light around her.Fresh from her recent success as Nagammai in Periyar, this serene and sweet looking lad from the ‘God’s own country’ is enthusiastic about her present and future ventures.With less than half a dozen movies (Idhaya Thirudan – Cameo, Thalainagaram, Sabari, Naan Avanillai and Periyar) to her credit in Tamil films, she’s already in the top list of young heroines.Recently our correspondent spoke to this rising star at length in a shooting set.

Excerpts from the interview: Actresses from Malayalam seem to be dominating the Tamil movies.Why do you think it is so? Is it because that they have faces with resemblance of Tamil girls? It is true that Malayalam actresses dominate the Tamil movies.But I don’t think it has to do anything with the similarity in looks.One reason that I can point out is that the Tamil viewers have a better taste for films.They are sensitive to the performance of the actors.

You’ll be written off as an under performer even if you do one or two scenes badly.The faces appearing on the screen should be endearing to them.Another important thing is your talent.A talented actress can always sustain herself in the field.The next thing is their looks.

Beyond all these is the success of the movie.If the movie becomes a hit then you are accepted.If all this can come together then any actress, irrespective of her native land, can have a good time in Tamil films.You made quite an appeal in the glamour department too.To what extend would you go in becoming glamorous? To me glamour is a just a part of a movie.

It adds to the entertainment.That’s how I look at it.Good acting with a little glamour – that’s my policy.And then, it’s the director who decides how much of glamour is needed in his movie.I, as an actress, can only listen to what my director asks me to do.

If the director wants me to appear fully clad, then I am happy to do that.In Periyar, you got your chance to act as a Nagammai.What did you know about the legendary Periyar before you were called for that role? To be frank enough, I knew very little of Periyar before I got the call to act in that movie.I only knew him as a great leader in Tamilnadu.Once I was asked to do the role of Nagammai, I looked up about Periyar in the Internet and what I learned about him was beyond what I expected.

I came to know that more than being a leader in Tamilnadu, he was the voice of all the downtrodden and suppressed, all around the world.He was truly a great man! Can you tell us your experience as Nagammai in Periyar? I should confess that it was ‘once in a life time experience’ for me.When you act in a movie and it runs in the gallery for 100 days, that’s fine and you’re remembered for 100 days.But when you act in a historical movie like Periyar and get your chance to enact a historical character like Nagammai, you’re remembered for 100 years.I’m so lucky to have got this chance.

There’s news in the tinsel town that you’re now at the doorsteps of Bollywood.Is that true? Yes.I’ve signed up for a Hindi movie called Anubhav.Rajiv Nath is the director and Sanjay Suri is the hero casting against me.A little personal question now: Any gossips about you? Of course there is.

After all which actress is free of that? There is a gossip that I got married and then it fell apart.The gossip is only half true.I am married but not living separately.I am very much still living with my husband – Nishanth.He’s such a nice person and he’s very supportive too.

He’s now the inspiration and encouragement behind all my ventures.