'I am an actor more than a star'

Down-to-earth

Jiiva can’t stop raving about the film’s strong script and brilliant characterisation. “I play a young man who tries to bring about a positive change in society.

A lot of people choose not to react to situations and steer clear of trouble but here is a young boy who has no fear to react and stand up for what’s right,” he explains.

Hopeful that Rowthiram will open up more opportunities for him, Jiiva says he has never liked to restrict himself to a particular role. “I would like to trip on a lot of stuff. I don’t want to be typecast in a particular genre,” he says.

Jiiva will soon play a romantic role in Vandhan Vendran, meaning ‘he came and he conquered’. “I am an actor more than a star. For the people I would like to be a good actor and for the distributors and producers I am a star. They need their profit which is also an integral part of the film industry,” he points out.

Ko will soon be remade in Hindi and Jiiva thinks Ranbir could best fit into that role. “I’ve watched all his movies and he’s done some exceptional roles like in ‘Wake up Sid’. He’s a very versatile actor,” he says. Ko was also remade in Telugu as Rangam. “The movie is doing well in the Telugu film industry. Earlier, I could roam around in the malls of
Hyderabad but now people there recognise me and I can’t walk that freely,” he laughs.

Jiiva has also played Sharman Joshi’s role in the Tamil remake of ‘3 Idiots’. “I loved ‘3 Idiots’ and I told the producer that I would like to play Sharman’s role in the Tamil version of the film. I can relate to that role and it’s a lot like how I am in real life,” he
explains.

Jiiva has his hands full with not a minute to spare but he has no complaints. “I have slipped in and out of several characters. It’s great to be working back to back on
projects and discovering a whole new side of myself,” he sums up.