He was seen as a young promising star before Ko happened. The K V Anand-directed movie was a blockbuster and Jiiva's stock rose to unprecedented levels and he was being considered one of the most bankable stars in Kollywood.
It has been a year since Ko happened and changed Jiiva's life as an actor. He has featured in a few films subsequently but success wasn't forthcoming before Shankar's multi-starrer Nanban came along.
His role in the movie starring Vijay and Illeana came in for praise and he certainly was on the rise.
Though he hasn't had any release for some time now, Jiiva has a slew of prestigious projects on hand. He has almost completed work on Mysskin's Mugamoodi which is in the super-hero film genre and is part of Gautham Vasudev Menon's Nee Thaane En Ponvasantham and seems to be getting better as a performer. He has also begun choosing his movies with care.
Jiiva shared his thoughts on working in Mugamoodi, Here are a few excerpts from the interview.
Are you happy with the way your career has panned out so far?
Yes, pretty much. It seems as if it was a long while ago. Having been in the industry for close to 10 years, I have learnt a lot and also enjoyed at the same time.
On the success of Ko and the subsequent journey…
I was overwhelmed by the success of the movie and credit must go to the director (K V Anand) for shaping up the character and the movie so well. Things haven't been too bad after that but I would have loved to have added one or more hits. I am looking forward to Mugamoodi.
Tell us about Mugamoodi and working with Mysskin…
I am so happy to be working with Mysskin, who is such a good film-maker. He has got the best out of me. Mugamoodi is a super-hero subject and I hope that it clicks with the audience. It is totally different from Ko but I loved doing it.
Your commitment and professionalism came in for praise after a recent mishap while shooting. Your take…
It was tough but as a professional I needed to get back to work quickly. Also there were date issues so I returned to the shoot as soon as I could.
Your future projects?
Am pretty chuffed about the movie with Gautham, then I will be doing Endrendrum Punnagai with Ahmed. I am particularly looking forward to the movie with Gautham who is known for his high-quality and stylish film-making.
Future plans?
Future looks good and I want to be known as a good actor and want to do varied roles. Not that I haven't tried it so far but would love to do a mix of roles so that fans acknowledge me as a good performer.