Sporting a new avatar

Karthik Jayaram garnered immense popularity through Kannada serial, ‘Ashwini Nakshatra’ and is currently donning the role of Raavan in the serial ‘Siya Ke Ram’

What is the appealing factor in the role of Raavan?
It is a very challenging role. He has many shades and there is a lot of scope for performance. I always loved the character of Raavan because I used to watch Ramayana.

What research did you do for the role?
I read a lot about Raavan. I also watched old movies based on Ramayana to understand the mannerisms of Raavan. I did not shoot three months for any other shows or movies and I had to grow my hair and beard for the role. I have also learnt basics of Shiv Tandav dance.

You are sporting a beard in the show and down south, we have never seen Raavan with a beard. So how did that happened?
The director knows how a character should be. Initially, I had a beard and moustache for a Tamil movie and at that time, I gave a screen test for the role of Raavan. Nikhil Sinha, the director of the show said: “I’m looking good in beard and moustache.” At the end of the day “Siya Ke Ram” is a new version of Ramayana, so maybe this was an experiment done by the director. Even I want to enhance the role because it shows maturity and rugged look to the character.

Did you face any problems regarding dialect for the role?
Nikhil asked me not to change the dialect. He wanted to project Raavan, hailing from south India and for that he said my accent is very natural, otherwise they could have cast someone from Hindi background.

When did the acting bug bite you?
I started my career in 2009. It was just a hobby. I used to be a model and I got an opportunity in few movies. While working as a structural engineer I have acted in films. When I started working on television, my career completely changed. I became popular.

Initially, I was very uncertain of this industry. After seeing the fame I realised that I can make acting as my profession. Shifting to industry was a big decision and risky one too as I was in a very big position in my company. However, I’m happy now about the decision.

How did your parents react when they learnt that you are quitting a good job to pursue acting?
Initially, they were skeptical about my decision as I was doing very well in structural engineering and suddenly I shifted to acting, which is very uncertain. Later, they were very happy after seeing my progress. I can say my father is my role model. He always said, “Go on, face the difficulties and I’m sure you will enjoy this.”

How did you grab the opportunity in Kannada serial ‘Ashwini Nakshatra’?
The makers watched me playing in the Celebrity Cricket League and they felt that the character “JK” requires someone who is arrogant. My features somehow portray me as an arrogant person with loads of attitude. They approached me and rest is history.

What are your future projects?
I have three movies in the pipeline, which will release soon. I did not take any fresh project as I’m spending more time with ‘Siya Ke Ram’. If I get breathing space from ‘Siya Ke Ram’ then I would take up other projects too.