Jayam Ravi is an actor who works in the Tamil film industry. He comes from a ‘cinema family’ — the son of veteran film editor Mohan, and the younger sibling of director Mohan Raja. Ravi, whose last film was Comali , calls himself an “80s kid”. These are the four films that he loved watching growing up.
Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri (1977)
It was the first female-centric film that I watched.
Sivakumar (R) with Rajinikanth in Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri
Until that point in my life, I had only been used to watching films from the perspective of a male. Obviously, I felt more attached to the hero of a film. But after watching Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri, I remember thinking, ‘You can make films in this manner too, huh!’ This was the film that made me understand that cinema is about the emotion, and not the male or female character in the story.
16 Vayathinile (1977)
I love all of Bharathiraja’s films.
Kamal Haasan in 16 Vayathinile
But this was the one that ushered in a new era in cinema. It was shot completely outdoors. When I watched 16 Vayathinile for the first time, I was flummoxed by the kind of film it was... I could not figure out if it was made for the film festival circuit or if it was a commercial movie. It was something new to Tamil cinema, and everything about it felt natural.
Nayakan (1987)
It was another one of those films which broke conventions and all the rules of Tamil cinema.
Kamal Haasan and Saranya Ponvannan in a still from Nayakan
Having grown up in a cinema family, movies were all that we would discuss... all the time — breakfast, lunch or dinner! So, I knew about Mani Ratnam sir even then, and Nayakan is such an important film that he has given us. But I really started to love his films only after watching Anjali (1990).
Gentleman (1993)
I love Shankar sir’s films.
Arjun and Madhoo in a still from Gentleman
When Gentleman released, I, for my age and exposure then, thought that it dealt with a subject that had not been handled in a film before. Because we have had films like Vijayakanth sir’s, which dealt with political issues... like India-Pakistan conflict and terrorism. But Gentleman dealt with the politics which happen around us at a level that resonated with our society. It was a new mixture of a commercial film.
(As told to Pradeep Kumar)
