Coimbatore, Nov 17: He is one of the new stars on the horizon. And he has one thing in common with star siblings who have been creating waves in Kollywood. Like them he too had little difficulty entering the glitzy and glamorous tinsel world.
We are talking about Jeeva, son of well-known producer R.B. Choudhry.
`Aasai Aasaiyai' with Jeeva in the lead cast was the 50th production of `Super Good Films'. It had a number of newcomers including Ravi Maria, the director. Choudhry has always been known for offering chances to new faces. From K. S. Ravikumar (Puriyadha Puthir), Vikraman (Pudhu Vasantham), Lingusamy (Anandam), Ezhil (Thullatha Manamum Thullum) and Sasi (Sollamale), the list goes on.
And surprisingly, Jeeva was a much later addition to this list. On a visit to the city recently, Jeeva spoke about cinema and his interests in a brief chat with M. Allirajan.
Jeeva never had plans to do movies. "After my school, I was planning to study in Vancouver, Canada," he says. But now Jeeva, who is two movies old, says that he has taken acting quite seriously.
And he has no hesitation in acknowledging his father's role in making him an actor. "Without my father's support and encouragement, I would not have made it to the world of cinema," he confesses.
He says that he is choosy about his roles. "I am looking to play roles that are different and offer good scope for acting." He was also quite candid in sharing his experiences while shooting for his first movie.
"The camera looked like a bazooka to me. Moreover, I never used to dance in school and college. Dance masters Lawrence and Raju Sundaram helped me out," he quips.
Russell Crowe is his favourite actor. "I liked the role played by him in Gladiator. It was not an easy one. You have to read about the man and know the history to do such roles."
How does it feel to be in the limelight all of a sudden? "It is a delightful experience. You get a lot of satisfaction especially when the audience appreciate your performance."
But then being an actor brings its own set of problems. Too much of public glare means less privacy.
"Though at times it gets difficult, it is an experience in itself," he observes. On the success of Dhanush, who comes from a similar background, he had this to say: "It is because of sheer hard work."