“I was modelling while I was studying in Mumbai, which is when director Priyadarshan approached me to act in his Hindi film.”
“I was born and brought up in Mumbai. My father is a Punjabi and my mom is a Maharashtrian Muslim. I have two sisters – Nagma and Radhika (screen name – Roshini) and a brother. My mother has always been a huge inspiration for me. She had always taught me to work hard and make something of myself and resented it when my siblings and I sat idle and whiled away time – she encouraged us to take up part-time jobs to earn some pocket change and that is how I started modelling while I was still studying. It was during that time that director Priyadarshan approached me to act in his Hindi film, Doli Saja Ke Rakhna; sadly the movie did not do well at the box office. But since we were shooting for that film in Chennai I was approached by SJ Suryaah to do a cameo in his Tamil thriller Vaali.” Since then there was no looking back for tis charming actress. “The same year, I got the opportunity to work in Poovellam Kettuppar with Suriya. In fact, my initial films were with him – he was very reserved, but we got along well right from the beginning.”
“Since I did not know Tamil at all, I had to work really hard to get the emotions right while acting; it was a difficult time for me.”
Talking about her initial experiences in Kollywood, the actor says, “Since I did not know Tamil at all when I came to Chennai, I had to work really hard to get the emotions right while acting. Maybe that was why I used to be extra expressive and I was also very young then; it was a difficult time for me. However my co-stars, the directors and the entire team of all the films I had worked in were very supportive and helpful.” And now? She laughs and says, “After being in Chennai for this long, I have learnt to speak the language well. Actually more than during my acting stint, I became fluent after my marriage since Suriya’s mom was comfortable only in Tamil. In fact for 36 Vayadhinile, we even considered dubbing in my voice; we actually did try it out too but since the script demanded a particular accent for the middle-class housewife role that I am playing, we decided not to go ahead with my voice.”
Though Jothika is back in the big screen with her awe inspiring women-centric films from Jackpot, Raatchasi, 36 etc after being a part of the filmdom for a decade, this bubbly actor decided to take a break and focus on her family life for almost 7 years. Click here to read more about why she took a break from acting.
