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A long journey from North to South

Ajay from Hindiland has made a success in Tamil serials

BUSY ACTOR Ajay PHOTO: M. MOORTHY

For more than a year now, Ajay who plays the dashing young businessman, Adithya in the serial `Kolangal' has been making waves on the small screen with his lively performance, which surely spices up the evenings for many serial buffs.

A Punjabi, who was brought up in Mumbai, Ajay is known by his original name, Gaurav Kapoor in Hindi films and television circles. It was in Priyadarshan's `Gardish' that he made his debut, when he played Jackie Shroff's brother.

Maiden entry

After a few other Hindi flicks and tele-films, Ajay made his entry into the Tamil film industry through `Ooty'. Although the film didn't do well at the box-office, he had a lot of positives to take from the movie. "The film was not a great launch pad but it was certainly a confidence booster and it introduced me to many big names in the Tamil industry," he says.

A busy actor these days, with his role in the soap `Selvi' — also received well by the audience, Ajay has set his sight on the silver screen and wants to make it big. "I am getting a lot of offers from Kollywood, but I am very choosy. That's the case with serials also. I believe even big directors have taken note of me. I am ready to wait and am certainly enjoying what I am doing right now," says the actor confidently.

Ajay doesn't believe that TV artistes do not or cannot shine in films. "It is a myth. The amount of hard work we put in, while acting in serials stands us a better chance when we take up movie offers. In fact, TV artistes can be more impressive in films," he says.

"Whether a movie or a serial I will always give my best. I never hesitate to work hard. The satisfying thing is that none of the directors have ever been left unimpressed with my performance," he says about himself.

Ajay attributes his success to directors of the serials, Thiruchelvam (Kolangal) and Sundar K. Vijayan (Selvi) and asserts that they moulded him. Interestingly, the way he speaks Tamil, with a Hindi accent has also a role to play in his success. That has indeed sounded new to the audience. Says Ajay: "The director (Thiruchelvam) tried out many voices but none of them suited mine. Then he asked me to dub in my own voice and that definitely was a turning point," he shares. Ajay also points out that the reach of private channels has made him a household name even abroad. "When I was in United States recently, people recognised me and I really enjoyed those moments," he says with a smile.

G. PRASAD

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