Thiruvananthapuram: After a career spanning 35 years and over 400 films, ace comedian and character artiste Jagadish says he is now "mentally ready" to direct a film for the first time.


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Jagadish told IANS that over the years he has changed many roles and each time it has brought him laurels. The latest role waiting in the wings includes a few offers to direct a film.


"I started my career after my post graduation in Commerce, as a bank official and then took up teaching in a college. It was while being a commerce teacher, that I donned the greasepaint for the first time. Then I travelled from set to set. In between, I scripted films and also took up offers in television," said Jagadish.


However, the only blip in his career was when as a Congress candidate from the Pathanapuram assembly constituency in the 2016 assembly elections, he failed to stop his actor colleague and three-time sitting legislator KB Ganesh Kumar.


"Now after all these long years in the film industry, where I have had a reasonably successful career, I have been constantly asked by my well-wishers that it's time that I take up directing. After giving a bit of thought, I also felt, yes, I will do it and I am getting ready for it," added Jagadish.


Starting in 1984 with "My Dear Kuttichathan", Jagadish has by now, played the lead role in 40 films and scripted a dozen films, including "Mazha Peyyunnu Maddalam Kottunnu" and "Minda Poochakku Kalyanam".


His popular films include "Vandanam", "Mukhachitram", "In Harihar Nagar", "Godfather" and "Hitler" to name a few.


Jagadish said he is aware that he will have "a very little margin of error" in his turn as a director given his long career, and so he is "taking a bit of time".


At the moment, he is looking at various options before him and one thing he is sure of is that he will direct a film scripted by him.


"One thing what many people forget is that the box office success rate in films across the world is a mere 25 per cent only. That's bad news for the producer and if I wanted I could have turned a director long back.


"But I felt that I will turn director (only) when am fully ready. Now I feel I am mentally ready and now it's a question of whom I should select as the producer as I have a few of them waiting for me," said Jagadish.


He said it won't take long and promised it would be one which would be liked by a cross-section of film buffs.