When Anbu, a medical student, called Jiiva ‘ Thalaivaa’ , the actor turned back to see who he was referring to. And then, he smiled and said ‘Thank you’ before going on to answer the youngster’s question.
Anbu was one of the ten lucky winners of a fun-filled event called ‘Hangout with Jiiva’ at Marrybrown, Ispahani Centre. Selected from a contest that used the Augray App, the ten fans got an opportunity for a fun tête-à-tête with the star.
His upcoming film, Yaan , was obviously on top of the fans’ minds. Jiiva said: “Ravi K Chandran, the director of the film, has worked with small actors before this. Small stars like Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan (laughs) and, of course, the smallest of them all, Amitabh Bachchan! He is making his directorial debut after years of experience as a cinematographer in the industry. He brought out the best in me.”
The trailer of the action thriller, which stars Thulasi in the female lead, has already been praised for its rich look. “I want to do glossy films,” he said. “I’d like youngsters to watch my work. I have a son and want him to watch me sing, dance and fight on screen. Kids love all that – I’m investing in them big time. Even Mugamoodi , which didn’t do well, was loved by kids. You’ll have all those elements in this too.”
The film has been shot in Mumbai and various other locations in the world. “We shot in Morocco; at the same place where Inception was filmed,” he revealed. “In fact, that road you see in the trailer is the same location where Leonardo Di Caprio canned a few scenes.” Also close to the actor’s heart is learning from the stunt choreographers he trained with in Morocco. “Just like Ravi sir, they’ve also worked with small actors. Like Matt Damon (laughs). I was happy that they liked my work in the action sequences. After the schedule there, one of them gifted me the action gear that Matt had used. That was overwhelming.”
Jiiva is overwhelmed by Bollywood praise for the film’s trailer and songs. With Ranbir Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan having a word of encouragement for the entire team, Jiiva is a happy man. “Bollywood watches Tamil films keenly. They respect talent a lot.” So, is Bollywood on the cards, asked a fan. “I am ‘Raghu Thatha’ only in Hindi,” guffaws the actor, referring to a popular Tamil film dialogue. “I’m interested, yes, but not as a mainstream hero. I’d like to do something offbeat or perhaps play the villain in a mainstream project.”
