Potpourri of titbits about Tamil cinema

“Vanakkam”, “Namaskar”, “Good morning”, “Namasthe”, “Hello” … all these formal wishes were replaced by a single word “Hai” by actor Jaishankar, the James Bond of the southern screen! I met Jai for the first time on 15 September 1970 at a hotel suite in Kumbakonam when he was there to inaugurate a textile shop. Subsequently, we became closer.

When Jai was staying in Yercaud with his family, he invited some of his media friends to Yercaud. (His eldest son Vijay Shankar, a well-known eye surgeon of to-day, must have been around 16 years at that time. The next is Sanjay who is an engineer and the daughter Sangeetha is a famous doctor today.) I was also invited. During our chat, I asked Jai to tell me his experiences in the celluloid world.

“My native place is Kothangudi in Tanjore district. But I had not even seen the place till today because my father Subramaniam, a government pleader worked in Thirunelveli where I had my early education. Even when I was in school, I participated in competitions and acted in dramas. I used to deliver some dialogues from the film Parasakthi on the same style as Mr. Shivaji Ganesan. For holidays, I would go to my grandma’s house in Ponmalaipatti in Tanjore district. I would mingle with the youths there and spend my time cracking jokes and acting some sequences. They encouraged me to join cinema. When I was in college, I took part in the dramas of some drama troupes. Producer Nagi Reddy’s assistant Arunachalam wrote and directed a play ‘Aadiya arasu’. I played the role of the hero in that drama. MGR, who presided, congratulated me for my acting. And, Nagi Reddy also praised me for my acting.

Then, they took me to play the friend of Shivaji in the film ‘Marutha naattu veeran’. Director Ragunath okayed me at the first sight itself. I was so excited and thrilled. But I didn’t hear from them even after a week. Subsequently, I learned that already Shivaji had recommended a person called Sriram for that character. I had similar experiences with some more films also. I was frustrated and I joined a job in Delhi. But my craze for acting made me return to Chennai and join Sangeetha nataka sangam as a supervisor. I got to know music director T. R. Paappa then. Through him I got a chance to act in ‘Iravum pagalum’, produced by Joseph Daliat. Then, I got many offers and I became busy,” Jai Shankar said in a nostalgic tone with so much zest.