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Jai (actor)

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Jai
Born
Jaikanth Sampat

(1984-04-06) 6 April 1984 (age 40)[1]
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India[2]
Occupations
  • Actor
  • musician
  • singer
Years active2002–present
RelativesSrikanth 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]

Personal life

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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]

Acting career

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2002–2008: Debut and breakthrough

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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]

2009–2010: Setback

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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]

2011–2013: Success in multi-starrers

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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]

2014–2020: Comedy genres

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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]

2022–present

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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]

Racing career

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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]

Filmography

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Key
† 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

Web series

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Year Title Role Network Notes Ref.
2020 Triples Ram Kumar Hotstar Debut web series [49][50]
2023 Label Prabhakaran Hotstar

Discography

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As composer
Year Title Notes
2020 Triples Composed one song "Uyir Unnodhu Serumo"
2022 Veerapandiyapuram
2022 Pattampoochi Composed one song "Jail Kuthu
As singer
Year Film Song(s) Composer Notes
2018 Jarugandi "Seyiradha Senju Mudi" Bobo Shashi

References

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  1. ^ "Kollywood Movie Actor Jai Biography, News, Photos, Videos". Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Catching up with Tamil actor Jai Archived 22 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Gulf News. (19 June 2014). Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  3. ^ "Raja Rani does good business overseas – Indian Express". Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  4. ^ "'Jarugandi' producer supports Jai!". Sify. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  5. ^ டீம், விகடன் (19 December 2019). ""நான் ஏழு ஆண்டுகளாக இஸ்லாம் மதத்தைப் பின்பற்றுகிறேன்!" - மனம் திறக்கும் ஜெய்". vikatan.com/ (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  6. ^ Priya. "முஸ்லீமாக மாறியதை உறுதி செய்த ஜெய்…". KUMUDAM. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  7. ^ Rajkumar (20 December 2019). "இஸ்லாம் மதத்தை பின் பற்றி வந்த ஜெய் தனது பெயரையும் மாற்றிக்கொண்டார்". Tamil Behind Talkies. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Subha J Rao (26 October 2013). "Back in the race". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 November 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  9. ^ Mannath, Malini (17 June 2003). "Entry of a woman-producer from Andhra to Tamil films ('6 – Teens')". ChennaiOnline. Archived from the original on 9 June 2004. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  10. ^ Malini, Mannath (16 June 2003). "New Releases". ChennaiOnline. Archived from the original on 24 June 2003. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Cine News". Dinakaran. 24 April 2002. Archived from the original on 12 March 2005. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  12. ^ "A Tamil entertainment ezine presenting interesting contents and useful services". Nilacharal. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  13. ^ a b Stardom smiles on Jai – CHEN. The Hindu (28 July 2008). Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  14. ^ a b Life isn't the same – CHEN Archived 22 December 2023 at the Wayback Machine. The Hindu (6 November 2009). Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  15. ^ Review : Subramaniapuram. Sify.com. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  16. ^ Review: Subramaniyapuram Archived 21 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Rediff.com. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  17. ^ Actor Jai – Behindwoods.com – Tamil Movie Actor – Vamanan Subramaniapuram Goa Chennai-28 Archived 10 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Behindwoods (21 January 2009). Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  18. ^ "Breaking News- Jai in a jam!". Sify. 11 March 2009. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  19. ^ "Jai goes Goa!". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012.
  20. ^ Vamanan – Behindwoods.com – Tamil Movie Reviews – Vamanan Jai Rahman Priya Lakshmi Rai Santhanam Archived 2 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Behindwoods. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  21. ^ Review : Adhe Neram Adhe Idam. Sify.com. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  22. ^ Actor Jai – Tamil Movie Interview – Aval Peyar Tamilarasi | Jai | Nandagi | Moser Baer Entertainment Archived 28 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Behindwoods. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  23. ^ Sify Movies – Review listing. Sify.com (2 December 2012). Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  24. ^ Sify Movies – Review listing. Sify.com (2 December 2012). Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  25. ^ Review : Naveena Saraswathi Sabadam. Sify.com. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  26. ^ Review: Naveena Saraswathi Sabatham disappoints – Rediff.com Movies Archived 9 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Rediff.com (3 December 2013). Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  27. ^ "The 5 WORST Tamil heroes". Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  28. ^ "Review: Vadacurry is worth a watch". Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  29. ^ Rangan, Baradwaj (25 July 2014). "Thirumanam Enum Nikkah: Wedding woes". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  30. ^ Rangan, Baradwaj (27 March 2015). "Valiyavan: An easy contender for the year's worst screenplay". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  31. ^ a b "Actor Jai does a Thala Ajith, irks Chennai 600028 II producer". 15 September 2016. Archived from the original on 26 May 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  32. ^ "Review : Chennai 28 – II review: Satisfying watch". Sify. Archived from the original on 9 December 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  33. ^ Menon, Vishal (9 December 2016). "Chennai 600028 II: Life's a pitch". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 14 December 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  34. ^ Bhaskaran, Gautaman (3 February 2017). "Enakku Vaaitha Adimaigal movie review: This Jai-starrer is a hotchpotch of cliches". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  35. ^ Shrijith, Sajin (15 April 2019). "'Madhura Raja' review: Mammootty shines in an improved sequel". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  36. ^ Menon, Thinkal (25 May 2019). "Neeya 2 Movie Review". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  37. ^ Yuvaraj (30 October 2019). "The first-look of jai and S.A.C's next 'A' film is here!". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  38. ^ "Triples (Aka) Tripless review". 12 December 2020. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  39. ^ "Veerapandiyapuram Movie Review: A generic village drama which fails to create an impact". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  40. ^ "Kuttram Kuttrame Movie Review: Jai, Harish Uthaman shine in Susienthiran's return to form". Cinema Express. 27 April 2022. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  41. ^ "Jai and Sundar C starrer 'Pattampoochi' to release on June 24". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  42. ^ "Yenni Thuniga Movie Review: A decent thriller that has one too many rough edges". Cinema Express. 4 August 2022. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  43. ^ "Yenni Thuniga Movie Review: Jai as Action Packed Hero in Full Movie". Archived from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  44. ^ Sudevan, Praveen (4 November 2022). "Review: Sundar C's 'Coffee with Kadhal', starring Jiiva and Jai, is a cloyingly tiresome family drama". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  45. ^ Jai gears up for his first car race Archived 20 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine. The Times of India. (20 June 2014). Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  46. ^ Kumar R, Manoj (13 April 2019). "Madhura Raja movie review: Mammootty's wisecracks save the day". The Indian Express. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  47. ^ "'Ghosty' movie review: Irreverent, tasteless horror comedy". 18 March 2023. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  48. ^ "Theera Kaadhal Movie: Showtimes, Review, Songs, Trailer, Posters, News & Videos". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 6 January 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  49. ^ Kumar, Pradeep (4 December 2020). "Karthik Subbaraj: 'Triples' is a tribute to Crazy Mohan". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  50. ^ "Karthik Subbaraj to produce a web series starring Jai and Vani Bhojan". India Today. 6 May 2020. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
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