The Joy That ‘Jayi’ Brings On Screen!

The Joy That ‘Jayi’ Brings On Screen!

There’s been an explosion of comic artists on the silver screen and television lately. But Jayiram Samal’s comedy speaks of a class of humour that is yet to see a second. Ollywood’s iconic comedian Jayi, as he is fondly referred to, with his signature style began a cult of comedy that is popular even today. With more than 300 movies to his credit, his comic timing, expression, punch lines and the typical hen’s cackle are Odia cine lovers’ favourite. At times, audiences go to the theatres just to watch Jayi instead of the main lead actor. However, the man remains untouched by his popularity and unaffected by his iconic status.

As part of the ‘Legends of Ollywood’ series, here’s an exclusive interview with the talented actor.

How did your acting career start?

I loved to watch the folk visual art forms like Pala, Daskathia and Jatra as a kid. Watching those artists perform, I always wished to perform something similar and entertain people. When I was in Class 4, I read the story of ‘Ekalabya’ from our Odia literature book and wished to make a play on that. I took five of my friends and started doing rehearsals in disguise in storerooms or under a guava tree. Our families in those days were against any indulgence in performing arts.

We would make several props for different scenes and even set up a small stage by the roadside using a few sarees. People passing by would stop for a while to watch the play. That was when someone from among the bystanders pointed at me and shouted that I should join Annapurna theatre. Therefore, I joined the theatre at the age of 21 and did stage plays for about 11 years. Later, I got my first break in cinema with ‘Jajabara’ that got me audience’s appreciation and other filmmakers noticed my work.

How were your days at Annapurna theatre?

I have struggled hard during my years in the theatre. Surviving from the meagre amount that I received there, was almost impossible. The financial condition of my family was also bad at that time. In order to earn a decent livelihood, I started doing odd jobs like tailoring, selling tea near the bus stand and performing magic shows. It may sound ridiculous to youngsters today but I used to earn only as much as 50 paisa per day then. Although that amount carried a lot more value than it does today, it was never sufficient for survival. But I could not have left the theatre because of these hardships. As I always say, “Mancha abhinaya srestha abhinaya, ta thu bali kichi nahin; manche abhinaya kari thiba jie kouthi hariba nahin (Theatre acting is the best acting. The actor who has learnt to act on stage will never be defeated in his skill)”. Nothing in my life could possibly discourage me from acting.

Tell us about the iconic ‘Jai laughter’.

My laugh has an interesting story to it. I was playing a character called ‘Dhadi’ in the movie ‘Jaiphula’. There was a scene in which I appeared with co-actor Bijay Mohanty and was seen cackling like a hen for the first time. And after the film released, that cackling sound became a big hit and eventually started being recognised as Jayi’s signature laughter.

Has there been any funny incident during any of the film shootings?

I remember we were shooting for the movie ‘Nilamadhaba’, which had another comedian named Gaddi besides me. There was a sequence where the girl says she will marry the one who can get her a water lily from the pond nearby. Eventually, both of us jumped into the pond to collect the lily but came out with five to six leeches latching on to our bodies. I never had a more funny and unforgettable experience!

Don’t you think that being a comedian can be ironic at times? After all, your job is to make people laugh even if you are not in a happy frame of mind. Have you also experienced such a situation?

A comedian is a human-like any other. He too goes through similar ups and lows but making people laugh is his job irrespective of his situation. There’ve been days like that for me as well but the day my mother passed away was the most gruelling for me. I was in the theatre for one of my shows in the evening when two of my friends came to give me the news of my mother’s death. They had come to take me home but the manager stopped them from telling me about it as I still had to perform in a couple of scenes before I could leave. The moment I learnt of the sad news, I could not hold myself and broke down. I was crying uncontrollably but I think my tears were drowned in the audience’s roaring laughter for my performance. The regret that I could not do anything for my mother in her last moments will always stay within me.

We’ve heard there’s also a funny incident behind your marriage…

Once, when my father was out, one of his friends came home with his acquaintance. I was sitting in the verandah and he asked me to show them some magic tricks to pass time until my father returns. I started doing some trick where I fished out coins from the acquaintance’s eyes, ears, nose, mouth and hands, all the while unaware that he was my prospective father-in-law. Surprisingly, he seemed to be quite impressed with my thinking that I could generate money from thin air and easily agreed to marry his daughter off to me!

What changes have you witnessed in the many years of your working in Ollywood?

There is a huge change in the film making technology these days. For instance, in those days, all the artists present in the scene had to get together at one time for the dubbing session. Now we dub our individual parts and everything is mixed later. But I know, despite all the upgrading, we are still not able to attract our audience. So, we must think better and do all that we need to bring back our audience to the theatres.