Having acted in nearly 200 films including Malayalam and Tamil, Jayaram has many State awards to his credit. But the coveted National Award still eludes him, feels the actor.
An interview with the actor...
You are not a big star in the Malayalam film industry…
I am in the safe zone. After big stars such as Mammootty and Mohanlal, I am considered for any role. I do more than half a dozen films a year, and if half of them succeed I am there to stay. Last year, seven films of mine released, of which four were hits. Effective time management allows me to act in a couple of films in Tamil after working in Malayalam.
HOW DID YOU ENTER TAMIL CINEMA?
My sister Manjula was married to Ganapathi, son of dental surgeon Janakiraman. The wedding, which took place in Chennai, was a gala event attended by film stars, directors and producers. It brought me into contact with big shots in the industry. And I got an opportunity to act in a Tamil film, Gokulam. Subsequently, Chennai became my second home. I have so far done 25 films in Tamil.
BESIDES MALAYALAM AND TAMIL, YOU HAVE NOT WORKED IN ANY OTHER LANGUAGE. WHY?
Offers came but I wasn't inclined to work in other languages.
