Jyothika, the comeback queen

Jyothika, the comeback queen, In 2015, when Jyothika faced the arclights after a long hiatus in filmmaker Rosshan Andrews’s 36 Vayadhinile, a remake of his Malayalam drama How Old Are You, little did anyone expect the film would resurrect her career and push her back into stardom.

Come to think of it, there couldn’t have been a better film with which Jyothika could have left a mark, as much as she did with the heartwarming but empowering 36 Vayadhinile.

Agreed, the film is a remake and Jyothika merely attempted a tried-and-tested format. But her willingness to take up the project in the first place and make it work paved way to more such women-centric films.

In essence, 36 Vayadhinile gave us a Jyothika, who no longer has to worry if the role she chooses will work for a section of the audiences. With Mani Ratnam’s multi-starrer Chekka Chivantha Vaanam in her kitty, it’s amazing to see Jyothika spread her wings and fly.

By not restricting herself to a certain kind of image and cinema, she has made a mark as comeback queen.

It could be said that Jo, as she’s fondly called by her fans, brought in the wave of women-centric cinema to Tamil industry which gained momentum post the release of 36 Vayadhinile.

“Finding scripts that are women-centric is a rarity in Tamil cinema; it is not non-existent, but just uncommon. Other industries have evolved, but Tamil cinema is still making its way there.”

Heroines are only present in the film for the glam factor, adding no real value to the script. It is unfair to blame it on the audience and say that this is the kind of movies they want to see.

Sometimes the heroines are also to be blamed. Some of them are more concerned on their looks and go in for artificial ways to correct some flaws. It is ok to have flaws; normal human beings do have them.

What is important is how much you get into your character. I have seen instances when it’s a death scene and the artist is there in full, heavy make-up. These things take away the authenticity from the role.

It’s not always about looking good only. Equal or more effort should go into portraying a role well,” she had said.

While some would argue that the reason behind Jo’s successful comeback is the backing and support from her husband Suriya, who had bankrolled 36 Vayadhinile, it’s worth mentioning that the path Jo chose to walk upon is her choice.

After playing two memorable characters which were well received by audiences and critics alike, it’ll be really interesting to see Jyothika play a hot-headed, foul-mouthed cop in Bala’s Naachiyaar,

which hit the screens today. The trailer has already made it evident that Jyothika’s character is sure to make us cringe, but it has to be seen what prompted her to take up such a role after playing characters that were full of life and hope.

Apparently, Jo turned down an offer to play Nithya Menen’s role in Vijay’s Mersal and chose Naachiyaar over it, much to the surprise of everybody.

Jyothika could relate to the story from a personal point of view. “When she watched How Old Are You, she told me she could relate a lot to the titular character and that’s why she wanted to do the project.

Since she was making a comeback, she wanted to be seen in a role that leaves a strong impact on the audiences, especially women,” Rosshan had said soon after the film’s release. The kind of response Jyothika received for her comeback more than her film was unprecedented.

As a documentary filmmaker in Magalir Mattum, a film that made a strong point about a woman’s place in a household, Jyothika stood as a fierce voice in support of women empowerment, which according to the film’s director Bramma should start from home.

Jyothika, while promoting Magalir Mattum in which she shared screen space with senior actresses such as Bhanupriya, Urvashi and Saranya Ponvannan, said the need for her to do such films is not money: “I am a mother and a wife and I have a family to manage.

But, yes, I want to do films like these because it’s important to show powerful and independent female characters. Our production 2D Entertainment has consciously made it a point to support such scripts.”

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