Far from the limelight, Jameela has no complaints though. She is happy with the company of her students and the values passed down from her parents.Jameela Malik’s career do not reflect her dedication to cinema and her early rise to fame. Her short-lived marriage did not help either. Far from the limelight, the veteran has no complaints though. She is happy with the company of her students and the values passed down from her parents.
I got married in 1983. It was an alliance arranged by my mother. My partner was from Chennai. I lived hardly a year with him. Those were painful days.
I was pregnant when I went to act in ‘Babu’. I also acted in a serial titled ‘Sagarika’, which was shot in Lakshadweep. Those were difficult times. I have never spoken about it to anyone.
Read Part 1 | Jameela Malik: Born into freedom struggle
Part 2 | Free movies and early fame: An actor finds her calling
Still I was a favourite with newcomers in cinema. I was often invited to talk to students at the Adyar Film Institute in Chennai. The students included cinematographer Azhagappan. Most of them still say that I was the first actor they had worked with. Those are the small joys of life.
Second coming
The long silence after my failed marriage was broken by ‘Pandavapuram’. When G S Panicker thought of making a movie out of Sethu’s novel, Madhu sir recommended my name for the lead role.
V R Gopinath, my junior in the institute, cast me in his movie, ‘Unnikkuttanu Joli Kitti’. I also worked with him in ‘Oru May Masapulariyil’ and several teleserials in Doordarshan. The last of those was ‘Mangalyapppattu’ in 2016.
When the limelight faded, I turned to reading and writing to overcome the loneliness. I wrote a novel, ‘Shararanthalinte Velichathil’. It was not noted in the literary circles. There were a few radio plays too.
The farewells
The death of my mother made me more lonely. She was my leading light. She faced all tragedies with a faint smile. The death of my older brother was another blow.
Part 3 | One lady and gentlemen: Reinventing Malayalam cinema in Pune
Part 4 | Hits and misses: The other side of Indian cinema through Jameela's eyes
The shift from the ancestral house at Jonakappuram to the Palode house built with the help of friends reflected my life in a strange way. It’s painful but I never cry. I don’t like crying. I do not want to forego the values upheld by my mother and father. If I open up, many people will be affected by those revelations. I am deliberately omitting several persons and incidents because I do not want to remember them.
It was a strange coincidence that I ended up studying in the same Hindi Prachara Sabha where my mother worked as principal. After completing the Sahityacharya and Sahityaratna courses I was gradually drawn to teaching.
Now I live with my son, Ansar Malik. My Hindi students are also dear to me.
I work as a matron at the Muslim Association Hostel in Thiruvananthapuram. Many people keep asking me about my future plans. I have only one answer. My mother sent me to a film school after ignoring conservative pressures. Cinema is my family. I can’t go anywhere else.
(As told to Sulfiquar)
