‘I hope to bring some small change through my films’

In the last four years, since 36 Vayadhinile, there has been no looking back for Jyotika as all her films have won critical acclaims and have been commercially viable ventures. The actress will be seen playing a school teacher in her next film titled Ratchasi, helmed by debutant Sy Gautham Raj and bankrolled by Dream Warrior Pictures.

“Gautham had narrated the script to me for almost a couple of hours. The film is about government-run schools across the state. There have been films that have dealt with such topics before. However, it will be the minute detailing in Ratchasi that will make the film unique,” she begins. On working with a debutant director, she says that new-gen directors remain true to their story. “Especially, when they direct seasoned actors in stories with a social message, they do not compromise on creativity based on the actor’s market value. When Gautham came to me with the story, he wanted me to get into the skin of the character to play Geetha Rani so that her anger towards the society looks natural when I deliver dialogues,” she adds. On the subject of dialogues, she immediately gets reminded of the film’s playwright Bharathi Nambi and quips, “Unlike other films, the dialogues were really challenging for me to deliver. I think, nobody from the crew reminded him that I am half north Indian.”

The trailer of the film that was released by the makers a few days ago, opened to widely positive response. “I was looking at a few comments on Twitter. I am not on social media and had to follow them from Suriya’s account. A few people had commented saying that the film looks like Saatai and Jo is a ‘Lady Samuthirakani’, for doing films with social causes. When the audience can embrace 100 commercial films with the same formula, what stops them from watching films that educate them? They are not bored of the usual romance between hero and two heroines and an interval block with a fight sequence. When such films release, they say this is another Pallikoodam, another Saatai. I really don’t understand the logic behind this,” she explains.

Jo says that Ratchasi upon its release will question the drawbacks in our state-run education system. “Majority of the children in Tamil Nadu go to government schools. There are no teachers in many of the classes. How would you expect these children to pass their examination in flying colours and take up examinations like NEET? It doesn’t mean that I am opposing the system but there has to be a solid platform for our kids to excel,” says the actress.

With women-centric films like Magalir Mattum, Kaatrin Mozhi and now Ratchasi, we ask the actress if choosing scripts in similar genres was becoming a challenge for her lately. “I have been getting a lot of female-centric scripts and I have refused to commit to them. I listen to a minimum of three scripts a week and pick the best ones among them. I am back to doing films, with the hope of bringing in small, positive change among the audience and the society. Even if it is a small contribution, I am happy if it happens through my films,” she concludes.