The Hindu : New Delhi News : Doing the balancing act

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Monday, Aug 20, 2007
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New Delhi

Doing the balancing act

Photo: S. Subramanium

Versatility is thy name: Actor–cum-politician Jaya Pradha in New Delhi on Saturday

For Jaya Pradha films happened when she was just 13. Her successful trip to Bollywood and regional cinema is well known. As if that was not enough, she entered politics and is still a working artiste. Madhur Tankha finds out more about this ‘double role’.

ATTN: DELHI DESK. THIS FOR ``MEET” WITH PICTURE.

It is a tough act that she is performing these days -- balancing a career in films and politics. The ravishing Jaya Pradha finds time not only to address problems of the people in her constituency (Rampur in Uttar Pradesh), but also to essay different roles in Hindi and regional films.

Jaya made her debut in a Telugu film when she was just 13. “My mother loved art and got me enrolled in music and dance classes. I began learning traditional Indian dance forms when I was only seven. My dancing skills were noticed at the school’s annual function and I ended up bagging a three-minute role in the Telugu film ‘Bhoomi Kosam’. I was paid Rs.10 for the role,” she says

Jaya says after her debut film catapulted her into the big league with several banners vying to cast her, the atmosphere in her school changed. “I suddenly became a star even for my close friends. The distance they were maintaining made me uncomfortable,” reminisces the actor.

Already a star in South India before she forayed into Bollywood, her big break in Hindi films came in ‘Sargam’ in which she portrayed the role of a mute dancer. “The film was a remake of the Telugu film ‘Siri Siri Muvva’. I observed mute students closely in preparation for the role. The film opposite Rishi Kapoor was a resounding success.”

As Hindi is spoken differently in different States, Jaya was familiar with Hyderabadi Hindi before her entry into Bollywood. She knew a smattering of Urdu as well.

“I kept a tutor who rehearsed my lines. I was keen to do my own dubbing. I would get up at 5 a.m., take my Hindi class and then leave for my shoot. I would again work on my diction at night.”

Not surprisingly, Jaya soon landed a role opposite Amitabh Bachchan in ‘Sharabi’. “It was my first film opposite Amitji. I was very nervous on the sets. But he made me feel comfortable and corrected my lines. And the comfort level we shared was apparent on the screen. Amitji is a unique and sensitive artiste. Acting opposite him, one can learn a lot by carefully observing his skills,” she adds.

Rooted in public memory as the dutiful, all-enduring wife, Jaya acted in several domestic potboilers opposite Jeetendra in the mid-1980s. These films endeared her to the conservative filmgoers.

Her political responsibilities notwithstanding, Jaya now has a plethora of roles in her kitty. “I am playing a character similar to that of Jhansi ki Rani in a Kannada film. It is about a fiery queen who fought the British in 1800. In October, I will do a Bengali film directed by Ashok Vishwanath. It will be shot in 45 days in Kolkata. Then there is a Tamil film ‘Dasavatharam’ with Kamal Haasan.”

Jaya’s upcoming Hindi film ‘Deha’ dwells on the institution of marriage. “Mahesh Manjrekar plays my husband. Even though he cheats on his wife and distrusts her, the wife struggles to keep the marriage going.”

That very few Hindi films have a social message does not seem to bother the versatile actor. “After a hard days work, people want to watch entertaining movies. Thought-provoking films like ‘Black’ are also being made. Of course, I don’t like classics like ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ being remade. I cannot imagine anyone else playing the character of Dilip Kumar or Madhubala in that historic film.”

On her reported rivalry with Sridevi with whom she co-starred in quite a number of Hindi films, Jaya says there was healthy competition between them on the sets.

“There was no jealously. All our films were done in a professional manner,” concludes Jaya.

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