Jameela Malik almost acted along with MGR. She could have worked with John Abraham. She shared screen space with stalwarts such as Jayalalithaa, Sharada, Chiranjeevi and Rajesh Khanna. Yet her career never took off. The veteran talks about her memorable roles and the offers she lost between the cup and the lip.
Jameela Malik as told to Sulfiqar
It was a coveted offer. To act in a Tamil movie with MGR. Rajamma, wife of producer V R Panthallu, asked me if I would like to act in ‘Maduraiyai Meetta Sundharapandian’. Rajamma said that she and MGR’s wife Janaki had chosen me.
They arranged for an appointment with MGR and reminded me to be very serious. Even Members of Parliament were waiting to meet him. He sat like a king. MGR started speaking in Tamil but switched to Palakkad Malayalam when he learned that I was from Kerala.
MGRHe asked me all about the FTII. I was nervous. He then handed over the agreement to me. “So be it,” he wound up the chat with a smile.
That role was not meant for me. I was dropped at the last moment in favour of Padmapriya.
Not long after that, I received an offer to act with J Jayalalithaa in the last movie of her career, ‘Nadiye Thedi Vantha Kadal’. B Lenin was the director and Sarath Babu the leading actor. Jayalalithaa was going through a difficult time with her affair with MGR. I acted as her secretary in the movie.
Read Part 1 | Jameela Malik: Born into freedom struggle
Part 2 | Free movies and early fame: An actor finds her calling
She was very loving. She kept good care of everyone around her though she was not one for intimate talks. She would alternate between English and Tamil. She had once called me up to offer a role but that never happened.
JayalalithaaI had not seen her after she became busy in politics. I tried to meet her but she always seemed to be inaccessible.
Stars in memory
I was acting with Rani Chandra in Ramachandran’s ‘Lahari’ when she died in an air crash. She had always held me as a close friend. She died without completing the movie. The movie was doomed after her death. I had a good role in it.
My stint with K R Vijaya in ‘Velliratham’ was unforgettable. It was the work of Krishnan Panju. Vijaya encouraged me after she saw my transformation as a blind girl. Kannamma was a lively character. Vijaya considered me as a younger sister.
Sharada was like a mother to me. I was freezing in a shooting location when she offered a shawl to me. The memory is still fresh inside me.
Read Part 3 | One lady and gentlemen: Reinventing Malayalam cinema in Pune
I also worked as a dubbing artiste for some time, mostly in Hindi movies. I gave my voice to Manjula in ‘Mayoora’. I also dubbed for Jayamalini. I had dubbed for children’s roles in several Jeetendra movies. I also dubbed for the Hindi remake of P Bhanumathi’s ‘Bhakta Dhruva Markandeya’.
Jameela MalikWhen ‘Odayil Ninnu’ was remade into Hindi as ‘Babu’, the makers added a character. I acted as the younger sister of the character presented in Malayalam by Prem Nazir. A C Trilok Chander was the director. The movie had Rajesh Khanna (the role played by Sathyan in Malayalam), Deepak Parashar, Hema Malini and Rati Agnihotri.
When Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai’s ‘Kayar’ was made into a television series by M S Sathyu, I was chosen to play the lead role. That was a big recognition for me.
I also acted with Chiranjeevi as his sister in ‘Ennai Paar En Azhagai Paar’. I had acted in a few Telugu movies but none of them were ever released.
(To be continued...)
