Jai | |
---|---|
Born | Jaikanth Sampat 6 April 1984 [1] |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 2002–present |
Relatives | Srikanth Deva (cousin) Deva (uncle) Sabesh–Murali (uncles) |
Jaikanth Sampath (6 April 1984) also known as Jai is an Indian actor and musician working in Tamil films. The nephew of noted composer Deva & the cousin of Srikanth Deva, Jai had made his acting debut in a supporting role in Bagavathi (2002). In 2007, he successfully auditioned for a leading role in Venkat Prabhu's sports film Chennai 600028 . His movie Subramaniapuram (2008) was also a big success, and marked Jai as an lead actor in Tamil Cinema.
Jai subsequently garnered more praise for diverse roles, including a villager on holiday in Goa (2010), a timid factory worker in Engaeyum Eppothum (2011) and a customer care executive in the romantic drama Raja Rani (2013), which became his biggest commercial successful film. [3] He made his debut as a singer in the film Jarugandi (2018). [4]
Born into a family of musicians, Jai has stated that music was close to his heart and that it influenced him in his "growing years", particularly crediting his uncle, the composer Deva. He completed his schooling in Lamech School, Valasaravakkam, Chennai. He completed fifth grade in keyboard from Trinity College London and has said that he likes to be involved in the music compositions of his films. He has called himself a "huge fan" of Yuvan Shankar Raja's work, saying that he has "often dreamt of surpassing his work as a composer someday". [2]
In an interview with Ananda Vikatan, he confirmed on the rumors about him embracing Islam, that he has been practising Islam for seven years and thinking of changing his name to Ajeesh Jai in future. [5] [6] [7]
Jai made his film debut at age 18 as Vijay's younger brother in the 2002 film Bhagavathi , with director A. Venkatesh choosing Jai as a result of his striking similarity in appearance to Vijay. [8] Jai was then set to make his debut in a lead role in a remake of the Telugu film 6 Teens , but the film remained unreleased despite being complete. [9] He was also expected to feature in Velmurugan's Ammu and Nambiraj's Touch but neither film materialised. [10] [11] [12] Several other offers came his way including roles in Alai (2003) and Devathayai Kanden (2005), but Jai was insistent that he earn his place in the film, rather than being chosen on the basis that he was music composer Deva's nephew. [13] He instead chose to concentrate on a career in music, often working for Deva's films a keyboardist alongside his cousins, music composers Srikanth Deva and Bobo Shashi.
His friend, the singer Yugendran, recommended Jai to audition for a role in Venkat Prabhu's directorial debut Chennai 600028 (2007), based on gully cricket. He was the only actor to be auditioned amongst the eleven lead roles and was the final selection for the film. [14] The success of the film began an association with Venkat Prabhu and Jai has repeatedly collaborated in Prabhu's ventures through leading or cameo roles. He was then selected to play a leading role by debutant director Sasikumar in Subramaniapuram (2008), after he had seen him at Deva's residence and Jai signed up for the film without hearing the script under the basis that it was to be produced by director Ameer. [13] The film, set in a Madurai village of the 1980s, told the story of a series of violent happenings on the backdrop of a love story and Jai grew a long beard to reflect the 1980s look for the project. Critics raved about Jai's performance in the film, with a reviewer noting: "Jai, as the romantic killer is the pick of the lot" and that he "lives the role". [15] [16] After finding himself unable to appear in a role in Venkat Prabhu's Saroja due to his long beard, he organised and helped plan a scene that would feature cameo appearances from several actors from their first films. [17] Jai subsequently chose to make a switch from acting in off-beat films and attempted to make a career as an actor in commercial films. [14]
In March 2009, Jai ran into trouble for making controversial comments about the potential box office fare of his future films that he had signed in that period. The actor, who was filming for Vaamanan , Aval Peyar Thamizharasi , Adhe Neram Adhe Idam and Arjunan Kadhali at the time, revealed that only Vaamanan would do well and the rest would become financial failures. The producer of his films also revealed they wanted to take action against Jai for "making such irresponsible and damaging statements about his own films." [18] Initially, the Nadigar Sangam council had asked him to complete his pending assignments before he could start work on any other project, beginning with Venkat Prabhu's Goa . The film's producer, Soundarya Rajinikanth, intervened and bailed Jai out of the ban. [19] His next release Ahmed's Vaamanan (2009), an action thriller featuring Priya Anand, Lakshmi Rai and Rahman, marked his first commercial role with a critic noting: "from swift stunts to rapid dance movements, Jai has got it all". The film did not replicate the commercial success of his previous ventures, though his performance was described as "commendable". [20] Meanwhile, Adhe Neram Adhe Idam opened to unanimous negative reviews, with a reviewer noting that Jai "with his sleepy eyes looks like he really doesn't want to be in this film at all". [21]
He was then seen in Venkat Prabhu's romantic comedy Goa (2010), where he played a villager on a coming-of-age trip to Goa alongside Vaibhav Reddy and Premgi Amaren. Jai's temporary ban from films had delayed the project and he once again grew a beard to portray his character of Ramarajan. Despite positive hype surrounding the film prior to release, it only won average reviews and collections at the box office. He appeared in Aval Peyar Thamizharasi with different looks throughout the film to reflect his character's growth, with the main ones being that of an eighteen-year-old boy and a twenty-eight-year-old man. He shed weight to sport the school boy look and later added weight and muscle to look a matured man in his late twenties for the film. [22] Critics lauded Jai's performance, citing: "he shows that he is in the process of grooming himself to become a well-rounded actor" and "that he can bring in complex emotions on his face at the drop of a hat", but the film did not fare well at the box office. Similarly, his performance in the romantic film Kanimozhi was described "as endearingly likeable" and that "he had come out with a natural performance", but the film failed commercially. [23] Discussing his five consecutive failure films, Jai admitted that during that period in his career, he had chosen to feature in films without considering the true scope of its potential success, only to avoid a long gap between releases. Since then, he has actively chosen to associate himself with big banner films rather than ventures by debut production houses in order to ensure that his films are well publicized prior to release. [8]
After his string of failures, Jai signed up to play a role in AR Murugadoss's debut production Engaeyum Eppothum (2011), after being impressed by Saravanan's script. Portraying a timid working class professional, his role was well received and the film performed well at the box office. A critic noted: "the highlight of the film is its lead actors Anjali, Ananya, Jai and Sharwanand who live the role of the characters they play". [24] Jai then accepted to play a secondary role in Atlee's Raja Rani (2013), and admitted he was initially apprehensive about accepting the offer, only choosing to do so after being convinced by the film's climax. He mentioned that he wanted to portray a memorable guest role like that of Karthik in Mani Ratnam's Mouna Raagam , and worked hard to get into the skin of his character, Surya, taking close to ten takes in certain scenes. [8] His second release of the year was the fantasy comedy Naveena Saraswathi Sabatham (2013), where Jai played a Siddha doctor who becomes deserted on an island after a bachelor party with his three friends. The film opened to mixed reviews and became an average grosser at the box office. [25] [26]
Jai carried on featuring as the lead actor, as opposed to multi-starrer films, between 2014 and 2016 albeit to limited success. [27] His first release in the period, the comedy film Vadacurry (2014) opened to positive reviews from critics and performed well at the box office, with a critic noting: "Jai is good with romance and comedy, so the role is perfect for him". [28] His subsequent releases including Aascar Films' romantic-comedy Thirumanam Ennum Nikkah (2014) alongside Nazriya and Valiyavan (2015), co-starring Andrea Jeremiah, where the former performed average and the latter performed poorly at the box office, while also receiving negative reviews. [29] [30] Likewise, his two releases in 2016, Manimaran's social drama Pughazh (2016) and Gautham Vasudev Menon's long-delayed production Tamilselvanum Thaniyar Anjalum (2016), where he portrayed a mail carrier, also performed average at the box office. During the period, producer T. Siva spoke out against Jai for failing to promote his films despite his lack of stardom. [31] Following a string of unsuccessful films, Jai experienced critical and commercial acclaim with his role in Venkat Prabhu's sequel Chennai 600028 II (2016), where he reprised his role of Raghu from the original film. The story revolved around the reunion of the old cricket team for the wedding of Jai's character, and opened to positive reviews in December 2016, with critics stating that Jai made "a good comeback". [32] [31] [33] In 2017, Jai appeared in the romantic comedy film Enakku Vaaitha Adimaigal , portraying an IT worker who is unlucky in love. [34] In late 2018, he signed Madhura Raja alongside Mammootty marking his debut in Malayalam Cinema which was released in April 2019. [35] Then next, Neeya 2 (2019), a romantic horror film. [36] His 25th film, Capmaari was directed by S. A. Chandrasekhar. [37] In 2020, Triples is Jai’s first OTT offering and is in the form of a web-series, another first for the actor as well. [38]
The year 2022 begins with two action films, Veerapandiyapuram and Kuttram Kuttrame directed by Suseenthiran. [39] [40] The next, he acted as the psycho killer in Pattampoochi directed by Badri. [41] Then, the action thriller Yenni Thuniga [42] [43] and Sundar C's Coffee with Kadhal . [44]
Jai is also a car racer. "Crazy about racing" since his childhood, he said he was inspired by Tamil actor Ajith Kumar to get into racing. [2] In June 2014, he participated in his first car racing tournament, the JK Tyre National Racing Championship at the Irungattukottai Race Track in Sriperumbudur. [45]
† | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | Bhagavathi | Guna | |
2007 | Chennai 600028 | Raghuvaran | |
2008 | Subramaniapuram | Azhagar | |
Saroja | Himself | Cameo appearance | |
2009 | Vaamanan | Anand | |
Adhe Neram Adhe Idam | Karthik | ||
2010 | Goa | Vinayagam | |
Aval Peyar Thamizharasi | Jyothi Murugan | ||
Kanimozhi | Rajesh | ||
Arjunan Kadhali | Arjun | Unreleased Film | |
2011 | Ko | Himself | Cameo appearance |
Engaeyum Eppothum | Kathiresan | ||
2013 | Raja Rani | Suriya | Nominated, Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Tamil |
Naveena Saraswathi Sabatham | Ramarajan | ||
Biriyani | Jai Kanth | Cameo appearance | |
2014 | Bramman | Himself | Cameo appearance |
Vadacurry | Sathish | ||
Thirumanam Ennum Nikkah | Vijayraghavan Chari (Abu Bakar) | ||
2015 | Valiyavan | Vinod | |
Masss | Kathiresan | Cameo appearance | |
Vaalu | Himself | Cameo appearance | |
2016 | Pugazh | Pugazhendhi | |
Idhu Namma Aalu | Suriya | Cameo appearance | |
Tamilselvanum Thaniyar Anjalum | Tamilselvan | ||
Chennai 600028 II | Raghuvaran | ||
2017 | Enakku Vaaitha Adimaigal | Krishna | |
Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae | Jai | Cameo appearance | |
Balloon | Jeeva, Charlie & Himself | Triple role | |
2018 | Kalakalappu 2 | Raghu | |
Jarugandi | Sathya | ||
Party | "Zero Error" Charlie | Unreleased Film | |
2019 | Madhura Raja | Chinnan | Malayalam film [46] |
Neeya 2 | Sarva & Vikram | Double role | |
Capmaari | Vijay | 25th Film | |
2022 | Veerapandiyapuram | Shiva | Also music composer |
Kuttram Kuttrame | Eeswaran | ||
Pattampoochi | Sudhakar | ||
Yenni Thuniga | Kathir | ||
Coffee With Kadhal | Kathir | ||
2023 | Ghosty | Spirit | Cameo appearance [47] |
Theera Kaadhal | Gowtham | [48] | |
Annapoorani | Farhaan | ||
2024 | Karuppar Nagaram† | TBA | Filming |
Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Triples | Ram Kumar | Hotstar | Debut web series | [49] [50] |
2023 | Label | Prabhakaran | Hotstar | ||
Web series Triples - Uyir Unnodhu Serumo
Year | Film | Notes |
---|---|---|
2022 | Veerapandiyapuram | |
2022 | Pattampoochi | Composed one song Jail Kuthu |
Year | Film | Song(s) | Composer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Jarugandi | "Seyiradha Senju Mudi" | Bobo Shashi | |
Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren, better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu, is an Indian film director, actor and playback singer in Tamil cinema. After completing his education, he began pursuing an acting career, with his first three ventures featuring him in a starring role, failing to release, following which he began appearing in character roles.
Prabhu Deva is an Indian dance choreographer, film director, producer and actor who has worked predominantly in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu language films. In a career spanning 32 years, he has performed and designed dancing styles and has garnered two National Film Awards for Best Choreography. In 2019, he was awarded the Padma Shri for his contributions to dance.
Chennai 600028 is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language sports comedy film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu in his directorial debut. It stars Jai, Shiva, Premji, Aravind Akash, Nithin Sathya and newcomers Ajay Raj, Vijay Vasanth, Prasanna, Inigo Prabakaran, Karthik and Arun in the lead along with Vijayalakshmi Feroz and Kristine Zedek, making their acting debuts as well. The film was produced by S. P. B. Charan along with J. K. Saravana, a Singapore-based award-winning producer. The film's score and soundtrack were composed by Premji Amaran and Yuvan Shankar Raja respectively.
Prem Kumar Gangai Amaren, better known as Premgi or Premji is an Indian singer, composer, songwriter, actor and comedian. The son of composer and director Gangai Amaran, he often composes rap songs in Tamil cinema and is known for his comical performances in his elder brother's films. His stage name, Premgi, is actually a spelling error, as it is meant to be "Prem G.", the G standing for his father. He is also best known for his catchphrases Enna Koduma Sir Idhu ? and Evvalavo pannitom, itha panna mattoma, the former being a modified version of a famous dialogue used by Prabhu in Chandramukhi (2005).
Saroja is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language comedy thriller film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by T. Siva. It stars Jayaram, Prakash Raj, Shiva, Vaibhav, Premji, S. P. Charan and Vega Tamotia as the title character, while Sampath Raj, Nikita Thukral, Bose Venkat and Kajal Aggarwal play other vital roles. Several other popular Tamil television artists and crew members make special appearances throughout the film. The score and soundtrack were composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja with cinematography by Sakthi Saravanan.
Subramaniapuram is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language period action film written, produced, and directed by Sasikumar. Sasikumar cast then relatively new actors Jai, Swathi, Samuthirakani, Ganja Karuppu, and himself in pivotal roles. The film also marked Swathi Reddy’s Tamil film debut. The music was composed by James Vasanthan with cinematography by S. R. Kathir and editing by Raja Mohammad.
Vijayalakshmi Feroz is an Indian actress and reality show winner who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. As the daughter of film director Agathiyan, Vijayalakshmi made her acting debut as a timid girl in Venkat Prabhu's Chennai 600028 (2007), before portraying another timid character in Mysskin's drama film, Anjathe (2009). After appearing in a few further lead roles, she moved on to become a film producer and an actress in television serials. She also participated in the reality show Survivor Tamil in 2021 and later emerged as the winner.
Shiva is an Indian actor, radio jockey, and dialogue writer. He has featured in several Tamil language films. Prior to his acting career, Shiva worked as a radio jockey with Radio Mirchi. Acting mainly in comedy films, he rose to fame following his performances in the Venkat Prabhu directorials Chennai 600028 and Saroja, before also featuring in Thamizh Padam. His tenure with Radio Mirchi earned him the nickname Mirchi Shiva. He is humorously called by fans as Agila Ulaga Superstar.
Sumanth Reddy, better known as Vaibhav, is an Indian actor who works primarily in Tamil film industry and few Telugu films. He made his debut with the Telugu film Godava (2007) under his father, A. Kodandarami Reddy's direction. He is best known for his performances in Venkat Prabhu films Saroja (2008), Goa (2010), Mankatha (2011) and Chennai 600028 II (2016).
Sripathi Panditharadhyula Charan, credited as S. P. Charan, is an Indian playback singer and actor works predominantly works in Tamil cinema and Telugu cinema.
Goa is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written by Sampath Ravi and directed by Venkat Prabhu in his third directorial project. Starring his regular cast consisting of Jai, Vaibhav, and Premji along with Aravind Akash, Sampath Raj, Piaa Bajpai, Sneha, and the debutant Australian model Melanie Marie in other roles, the film is the first production of Soundarya Rajinikanth's Ocher Picture Productions. Actors Silambarasan Rajendar, Nayantara and Prasanna make guest appearances in the film, which features music composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, whilst cinematography is handled by Sakthi Saravanan and the film is edited by K. L. Praveen and N. B. Srikanth.
Kanimozhi is a 2010 Indian Tamil language musical romance film directed and written by Sripathi Rangasamy and jointly produced by T. Siva and Sona Heiden. It stars Jai, Shazahn Padamsee, and Vijay Vasanth in the lead roles. The film features music composed by Satish Chakravarthy, cinematography by Chidamparam and editing done by duo Praveen K. L. and N. B. Srikanth.
Mankatha is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by Dayanidhi Azhagiri's Cloud Nine Movies. The film stars an ensemble cast of Ajith Kumar, Lakshmi Rai, Anjali, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Andrea Jeremiah, Ashwin Kakumanu, Vaibhav Reddy, Premji Amaren, Mahat Raghavendra, Jayaprakash, Aravind Akash and Subbu Panchu. It is the fiftieth film of Ajith as a lead actor and the third and penultimate film of the production studio. The film follows Vinayak, a corrupted ACP in Mumbai, who joins a gang of four who plans on a heist of cricket betting money.
Vasuki Bhaskar is an Indian fashion and costume designer, working in the Tamil film industry. She is the daughter of film producer R.D. Bhaskar and Pavalar Creations is their own production house.
Biriyani is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language action comedy thriller film directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by Studio Green. It stars Karthi and Hansika Motwani alongside an ensemble cast including Premji, Nassar, Ramki, Sampath Raj, Madhumitha, Jayaprakash, Prem, and Mandy Takhar. Yuvan Shankar Raja composed the score and soundtrack of Biriyani, which marks his 100th film, while Sakthi Saravanan and Praveen-Srikanth handled cinematography and editing, respectively.
Vadacurry is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language comedy thriller film written and directed by debutant Saravana Rajan. The film stars Jai and Swathi Reddy and was produced by Dayanidhi Azhagiri's Meeka Entertainment. The film has cinematography by Venkatesh and the technical crew includes editing by Praveen K. L. and N. B. Srikanth and art direction by Ramalingam, while the costumes were being designed by Anusha Dayanidhi. The film started filming on 19 August 2013, and was released on 19 June 2014.
Sridhar is an Indian choreographer who has worked in across India's several regional film industries. He has also appeared as an actor, making his debut with Poi (2006) and by making cameo appearances in songs he has choreographed.
Chennai 600028 II is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language sports comedy film co-produced, written and directed by Venkat Prabhu, who also produces the film along with S. P. B. Charan under Black Ticket Company and Capital Film Works. The film, which is a sequel to Chennai 600028 (2007), features Vaibhav in a prominent role in addition to several cast members from the earlier film including Jai, Shiva, Premji, Aravind Akash, Inigo Prabakaran and Nithin Sathya. The film's score and soundtrack is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja. The film was released on 9 December 2016 to mixed to positive reviews and performed well at the box office.
Ajay Raj is an Indian actor and choreographer who appears in Tamil language films. While working as a dance choreographer, Ajay made his acting debut with Agathiyan's Selvam (2005), before appearing in Chennai 600028 (2007) and has since appeared regularly in films associated with director Venkat Prabhu and his team.
Party is an unreleased Indian Tamil-language comedy film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by T. Siva. The film stars Jai, Shiva, Sathyaraj, Jayaram, Shaam, Ramya Krishnan, Regina Cassandra, with Sanchita Shetty, Nivetha Pethuraj, Nandha Durairaj, Nassar and Chandran appear in supporting roles. After the release of his seventh directorial and debut production venture, it was announced that director Venkat Prabhu will do a film for Amma Creations banner of T.Siva which is celebrating its 25th year in film industry. Despite having completed filming, the film remains unreleased due to economic issues.