Jyothika on her return to Bollywood with Shaitaan after 2 decades

Well-known actress Jyothika is all set to make her comeback to the Hindi film industry after a gap of 25 years with the film ‘Shaitaan’. She had made her film debut in Priyadarshan’s ‘Doli Saja Ke Rakhna’ in 1998 along with Akshaye Khanna. After that, she has been active in the South film industry.

When asked why it took her so many years to do her next Hindi film, Jyothika replies, “I got very busy with South films, so I just got diverted to it and was waiting for something very special to come my way. I think at this stage of your career you want to do different work than before. ‘Shaitaan’ was a very challenging role.”

Speaking about her experience of working with co-stars R Madhavan, Ajay Devgn, Janki Bodiwala, and Anngad Raaj, she says, “Maddy and I are working together after 20 years. I think it is kind of a growth for an actor, where after being the hero/ heroine for so many years you give a performance in a character that shows and makes us feel a difference in the relationship all together. Of course, I don’t have to say anything about the kids Janki and Anngad. Janki is the hero of the film. Both of them are so good. I can’t even say there was a competition on the sets, we were so fit for the role that it actually felt like a family. We finished shooting in 25-30 days in London, we were all just flowing with it. I thank Kumarji for casting me and I have already thanked him so many times. For me, to come back to Bollywood and get a film like this, is very special.”

Jyothika is married to South superstar Suriya and the couple of two kids, Diya and Dev. She thinks that being a mother of two kids in real life, it was not a difficult task for her to essay this role. “I think when it comes to a daughter, there is no bigger warrior than a mother. My kids are of the same age as my on-screen kids; my daughter even resembles Janki. So, I didn’t have to put any effort into playing this role. I cried after watching her enact those scenes. It is really a vision of a mother. If you have a ghost in the film, you don’t get scared this much, but in this film it is real. So, you feel that it can happen to us and it is very scary.”

Praising her co-actor Ajay Devgn, who plays her husband on the screen, she says, “The biggest surprise for me was Ajay Devgn, the way he conducted himself all throughout the shoot was amazing. I have worked with many actors in my career, almost all the actors down South. My last film was with Mamooty sir. In this film with Ajay, I have learnt one thing, which is how to just give away. He has done this film selflessly. When I do my film in the South, no one gives space to the actresses on the film’s poster. It has been a pleasure to watch Mamooty sir and Ajay doing that. These are the real stalwarts of cinema. Everyone takes something, but doesn’t give back; so, giving back to cinema is a great thing.”

‘Shaitaan’, a supernatural thriller, is directed by Vikas Bahl and produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak, Ajay Devgn and Jio Studios.