Jyotika and Suriya relocated with their children to Mumbai from Chennai during the pandemic owing to a couple of reasons. Firstly, she wanted to stay close to her ageing parents, who stay in her maiden town. Secondly, the relocation also helped her to return to Hindi cinema decades after her debut Bollywood film, Priyadarshan’s 1997 romantic comedy Doli Saja Ke Rakhna.
Suriya says no ‘VIP syndrome’ in Mumbai
However, since Jyotika took a backseat from acting post her marriage with Suriya in 2006, post which she had their kids — daughter Diya and son Dev — Suriya rose the ranks from strength to strength in the meantime as one of the most formidable leading stars of Tamil cinema. Now that they’ve moved to Mumbai, he feels they’ve left behind the VIP treatment he would get in his hometown, Chennai.
“The VIP syndrome is no longer there. We are no longer VIPs here. When you go to a restaurant in Mumbai or are walking at Bandra Bandstand, I think we’re able to just go out with the children,” Suriya told The Hollywood Reporter India recently. “I think our children have kept us grounded,” added Jyotika, laughing, agreeing that they just take their parents for granted instead of hyping them up.
Jyotika on when fans don’t recognize her
Jyotika pointed out that most often, people their children meet end up recognizing Suriya, but not her. “That’s always the case. And the one time when they say, ‘Oh, we know Jyotika!’, is when we celebrate,” she confessed. The actor also recalled a recent instance of when they were travelling, and came across fans who recognized Suriya, and not her, yet again.
“Diya was like, ‘Mom, you gotta up your game! No one knows you here,’” said Jyotika, laughing. “At home, it’s a very grounded atmosphere, for sure,” she added. She also lauded Suriya as an inherently humble guy who has humility embedded in his DNA. He and Jyotika also don’t discuss their work or films at home. “They’re just not interested, they’re embarrassed when someone clicks a picture. They make it easy for us,” pointed out Jyotika.
How Jyotika, Suriya’s children adjusted in Mumbai
“They’re sorted children, to be very honest. I can proudly say it as a mother, they’re very grounded. The kind of upbringing they’ve had in Chennai, with Suriya’s family being extremely traditional, they’re an amazing family, very humble and always running charitable organizations. The children have grown up seeing that and the simplicity of Chennai,” added Jyotika.
She recalled that by the time the family relocated to Mumbai, the children already had a “simple and humble foundation”.
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“They loved Mumbai. They loved the global atmosphere and meeting everyone. They picked and chose the right company. I’d give it to them — they were really sorted, which made it easier for us,” said Jyotika.
Suriya even revealed that Diya, 18, being the elder child, is already worried about how she’d earn money and become financially independent. “She asked her mom, ‘Amma, how much did you earn in your first salary?’ Talking about myself, I didn’t know five days before that I’d be facing the camera. It happened all of a sudden,” said Suriya.
Jyotika pointed out that Diya is more alike Suriya, and likes to plan everything meticulously much in advance. On the other hand, their son, Dev, 16, is more like his mother, as they’re more spontaneous and enjoy their leisure time whenever they can. Suriya revealed that though Diya made a short docu-drama Leading Light — which documents the stories of women gaffers in India — she’s not interested in pursuing a film career like her parents.
Jyotika on still feeling like a South Indian
Earlier this year, when SCREEN asked Jyotika if she exclusively belongs to Mumbai now, the actor responded, “Mumbai has been home. I grew up here. So, you always miss your own language. I made a start with Hindi. So, definitely there’s been a void,” she said. “But I’m very proud of what I’ve done down South. And what I did there, I’m quite sure I wouldn’t have done that in Hindi. I’ve done a varied number of roles, and there’s so much I’ve learnt working there. I feel that groundwork has brought me back to Hindi,” she added.
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But she also confessed that her “heart is very much in the South”. “I’ve always been a South Indian at heart because I’ve lived there for 27 years. I still do early mornings and no late nights. I still prefer coffee to tea. So, both of them are my heart and soul,” added Jyotika. She was last seen in Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s courtroom drama System on Prime Video India.
