In search of better roles

By J. Ajith Kumar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MAY 12. From Kuttan Thampuran of `Sargam' to Dr. Jacob of `Krishna, Gopalakrishna', Manoj K. Jayan has come a long way. With hardly 60 films in just about a decade, Manoj is one who believes more in quality than quantity. Or else, why this gap of more than a year when he could have done a dozen more films?

``It is true that there has been a break. But it was deliberate. After marriage, I was busy with my house construction. Above all, I needed time for an introspection, to be choosy.''

Does Manoj feel that somewhere he faltered a bit, whatever be the reason? ``Yes indeed, out of compulsions and personal obligations, I had to accept roles even to my disliking. And I know, such roles have done more harm than good; hence the decision to be more selective.'' If he hadn't been selective, he would have completed 100 films, he feels.

Now Manoj is back into the thick of it all - busy schedules, call sheets, hopping from one location to the other and in the meantime, somehow managing to be in the company of his one- and-a-half year old daughter, Teja Lakshmi, and his better half, Urvashi, till recently the number one heroine of Malayalam cinema. He does not find time for socialising or partying. ``I have been misunderstood because of this. There are those who misinterpret this as being vain and snobbish,'' Manoj regrets.

Manoj is now a relaxed man and a confident actor. The going now is quite comfortable - good roles, but no risk. The latest trend of making `double-hero' films will do good to the industry, he says. A single-hero film, even that of a superstar, does not have the `minimum guarantee' and its producer may burn his fingers. With more than one hero, as in `Tenkasi Pattanam', `Dosth' and `Kakkakuyil', there is more guarantee of reasonable returns. And the actor is also relieved, since the burden of making a single- hero film a success rests fully on one person. In the other case, this responsibility is well shared between the heroes, says Manoj, who has been the `single hero' in nearly 35 films.

``I have indeed been fortunate having done films with almost all the leading directors in Malayalam. Having acted in three films each scripted by M.T. Vasudevan Nair and Lohithadas and played the lead in three Bharathan films is no mean achievement. Even though `Sargam' was the real turning point in my career, it was actually my 13th film".

`Perumthachan' came prior to this. But his first film `Mamalakalkkappurath' is till resting in the cans. His comeback vehicle, `Punaradhivasam', in which he acts opposite Nandita Das (of `Fire' fame), has been selected for the national and State awards. Then came the multi-starrer `Vallyettan', proving Manoj could be very much part of both `art' and `commercial' circuits.

Among his latest assignments are `Uyarangalil', Renjith's Mohanlal film, `Ravanaprabhu', Shajoon's untitled film in which he is co-starring with Suresh Gopi and `Krishna, Gopalakrishna' being made by Balachandra Menon.

Before venturing into films in the late 1980s, Manoj acted in a number of serials. It was in fact `Kumilakal', a serial directed by Adam Ayub, his teacher at the Acting Diploma course at the Film Academy in Thiruvallom, that opened for Manoj the doors of the tinsel world. While being busy with films, he had to sacrifice at least 15 serials. ``But any day I can be back to where I originally belonged,'' he consoles himself.

Urvashi has almost confined herself to the role of a housewife. Yet she appeared in one Telugu and two Tamil serials. If a filmy role is really challenging, she would not mind accepting it, he says.

Being the son of renowned music composer Jayan (of the Jaya- Vijaya duo), music is very much in his blood, Manoj says. Though not formally initiated into the world of classical music, Manoj is a lead singer in programmes by organisations of film artistes and technicians such as AMMA and MACTA. He has rendered a song for his own character in one of his films, which is in the pipeline. Under his father's baton, Manoj has sung a few songs for a devotional album.

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