Had to smoke a cigar in ‘Iravan’, but I’m not a smoker: Karthik Jayaram

The actor tries some dangerous shots and steps away from his comfort zone for his Kannada film

The teaser of the upcoming Kannada film ‘Iravan’ has grabbed much attention on social media. Actor Karthik Jayaram, who was last seen in Bollywood film ‘O Pushpa I Hate Tears’, is busy shooting for the thriller and couldn’t be more excited.

In a candid chat with Metrolife, he reveals more about the film and his other projects.

How is the shoot progressing?

We started shooting in November and have completed around 25 per cent of the shoot. ‘Iravan’ means king of the sea. Some challenging fight scenes, which will be shot in the middle of the sea in Mangalore, are coming up.

Tell us a bit about the project.

‘Iravan’ is a crime thriller and has two male leads. A lot of murders happen, investigations occur but only the climax will reveal who the actual killer is. The one-liner of the film itself was so interesting and I had to work on it. Crime thrillers always keep people excited. ‘Iravan’ has a reverse screenplay in it too, which adds to the character of the film.

Most of the roles you are cast in highlights your physique. Did ‘Iravan’ need you to work on your build?

I enjoy working on strong roles. Often people who meet me feel that I can only pull off macho roles, but there is so much more to me. As for the film, I had to gain muscle. I have also got a different hairstyle for the role. I love how my role has been portrayed, it is a larger-than-life character.

Did the role challenge you in any way?

If you watch the teaser, you will see a fire shot. It was a dangerous one and I have a few minor burns on my back because of it. I was lucky I didn’t get entirely scorched by it.

In the film, there are a lot of scenes where I am seen with a cigar, but I don’t smoke in real life. Smoking cigars is really difficult, especially exhaling the smoke through the nose. I almost fainted after one such scene. Also, in the climax scene, I have some tough fight sequences scheduled to be shot in a cruise in the middle of the sea. I am someone who gets seasick.

Other projects in the pipeline…

I am making my debut as lead, opposite Andrea with ‘Mallige’ in Kollywood. The film is ready for release. Kannada film ‘Warrant’ is also ready.

I have signed two Hindi web series, which should start in January. I play a cop in one and a negative character in the other.

What are some roles you want to do?

I would love to play soft characters and romantic roles. I do play something similar in ‘Mallige’.