Chennai: “I shed 17 kilograms to play a school boy for a particular portion in Comali. I had to follow a strict diet for it. I survived on carrots and tomatoes for two months,” says actor Jayam Ravi.
Comali, directed by Pradeep Ranganathan, stars Kajal Aggarwal and Samyuktha Hegde as heroines. Music is by Hiphop Tamizha Adhi and camera by Richard M Nathan. Plans are on for a release 15 August.
Speaking to News Today, Jayam Ravi, says, “Comali is a fantasy fun film. I appear in 10 different get-ups and five of them are important in the film.”
Excerpts from his interview
Q: Tell us about Comali?
A: It is a fun and fantasy film. We have forgotten few things and live today. The movie is an attempt to remind us those things. For instance, we would have laughed a couple of decades ago had someone told us then that water will be sold in bottles in future in almost all shops. Though it begins in 1990s, Comali is a contemporary story. It is an engaging and entertaining movie.
Q: After a couple of serious movies, is Comali a conscious attempt to do a comedy fare?
A: My aim has always been to do good films. It just happened that my last two films Tik Tik Tik and Adangamaru had different storylines and were action-packed. If I come across a good script, be it in any genre, I am ready to do. Comali is not a hero-centric movie. I chose to do because I was convinced by the script. It has a different knd of heroism. I have done 24 films so far and there would be romance, action and humour spread equally in my films. But Comali is different. Every scene in the film would have different emotions. I can’t classify the movie under any genre.
Q: What are the challenges you faced doing Comali?
A: I found doing a school boy for a particular portion in Comali as extremely challenging. I followed a strict diet. I survived on carrots and tomatoes for two months. I did a lot of cardio in the gym. To keep my face fresh, I took lots of fruits (liquid food). The various looks in the film form part of the story.
Q: How do you choose your scripts?
A: I want to do ‘selling’ scripts. There is no formula for it. I go by my ‘gut’ feel in choosing them. A movie should appease all section of masses to succeed. After multiplex culture, segmented audience have emerged. As far as I am concerned, I want to do movies that entertain all
Q: What is your 25th venture?
A: I don’t believe in numbers. My focus is on the film and not on numbers. My dad (editor Mohan) always taught me to treat every film as my first. Never have over confidence. Treat yourself as beginner. My 25th film is with Bogan fame Lakshman and it is a hard-hitting flick. It speaks about agriculture. We did intense research and came out with the script.