Jyotika On How Bollywood Portrays South Indians: "They Do Get It Wrong Most Of The Time"

Jyotika, who was seen in Hindi films like Shaitaan and  Srikanth in recent time, opened up about how Bollywood films project South Indians in an interview with Hindustan Times. Jyotika, who is a big name in the South industry, told the publication, "I agree some things are done over-the-top there, we love the Idli-Sambar, and we love action films, but sometimes how it is depicted here is definitely overdone. We've had actors in Hindi also, like Rajkumar, who have had their own style of overdoing things. But Rajini Sir has been taken to another level. It might be done in good spirits but frankly, they do get it wrong most of the time."

Jyotika made her Hindi debut with Doli Saja Ke Rakhna in 1998 alongside Akshaye Khanna. The film didn't do well and eventually Jyotika tried her luck in south films. Jyotika made a big comeback in Shaitaan this year alongside Ajay Devgn and R Madhavan. In an earlier interview with News 18, Jyotika revealed why she was absent from Hindi films for a long time. She said, "I didn't have any filmmaker reaching out to me from Bollywood in all these years. I didn't receive an offer from Hindi films even once. I drifted into South films 27 years ago and have only worked in South films ever since. My first Hindi film didn't run well in theatres. It's all very formula-based. Your first film needs to run for you to get more offers."

Reflecting on why she didn't get offers in Hindi despite tasting success in south, Jyotika told News 18, "People in Bollywood also thought that I was a south Indian and they assumed that I don't want to do Hindi films anymore. It was a journey and I'm still grateful about it. I did some fabulous work there. It's not like I refrained from doing a Hindi film. It's just that I wasn't offered any script in so many years."

Jyotika is married to superstar Suriya. She is known for her work in films such as Ponmagal Vandhal, Seetha Kalyanam, 36 Vayadhinile, Mozhi, Kaakha Kaakha, Sillunu Oru Kadhal and Pachaikili Muthucharam. She has also grabbed eyeballs with her strong performance in the Malayalam film Kaathal - The Core alongside Mammootty.