Personally, he feels Court has made him even more familiar with people. “Neighbours in my gated community during walks ask me what I am working on next. But now they come straight and tell me they liked my performance from a particular episode,” shares a satisfied Jayaprakash, someone who once never thought he had it in him to become an actor. “Cheran kept pursuing me to act in his film, but I kept putting off, saying he was wasting money on me. I was working from the age of 20 and was running a business. I never set my sight in films. I was a reluctant actor in my first few films. Only then did I realise that life has given me a second chance.”
Shifting focus back to Love AlwaysJayaprakash says the time to bond was crucial since there are four actors playing two people in different times. “Our (Jayaprakash, Jayasudha, Gouri G Kishan and Ramzan) mannerisms and body language became muscle memory as we were able to bond a lot. Being a supporting actor in films, even if my part is very important, I will only be required to spend a maximum of 10 days on sets. In Love AlwaysI was part of the shoot throughout. So it helped in our bonding, and that improved our performances too.” Not just with his co-stars, Jayaprakash also shares a healthy rapport with director Madhumita. “Even before we completed Love AlwaysI felt like working with her again. She is exceptionally talented. She cracks jokes with her and then something like Harry Potter’s wand comes out, and she turns professional-like almost instantly. Her team was also exceptional.”
The biggest positive of Love AlwaysJayaprakash believes, is that people can take whatever they want from the series. “It caters both to those who want fun and fantasy elements and also people looking for deep insights in life. People, irrespective of their age or marital status, will be pushed to think that they can do better and live better.” He also remarks that Love Always imparts a very important message that love is not always a bed of roses, and negotiations are key in a relationship. “Alaipayuthey is revolutionary for this reason. The film doesn’t peddle the idea of ‘happily ever after’ once the hero ties the thaali to the heroine. Staying and not just falling in love completes a love story. People will sneer at sermons about these topics; I feel Love Always succeeds on that count, maintaining a light treatment.”