Another Anniversary, but the Spirit remains, indomitable, eternal.
Its been 30 years since Master Chief Petty Officer Krishnan Nair of the Indian Navy or Jayan as we know him left for his celestial action gig. Jayan was the first phenomenon of Malayalam Cinema, as far as I am concerned. Not Sathyan, not Prem Nazir. Jayan brought machismo into vogue and the spotlight in Malayalam Cinema. And even the timing was perfect – he ruled for the full four years with 150-odd films through the the kitschy, loud, brazen 80′s and went out on a blaze of glory. What else can a consummate artiste wish for? Jayan was our own Chuck Norris, and we even gave him the very same factoids that we bestowed on Chuck Norris and now Rajnikanth, but with a strong Malayali flavor. There was also one subtle difference – you had to watch atleast one Jayan movie to understand its ‘full implications.” Jayan , after his stint in the Indian Navy got associated with Jose Prakash during the former’s business venture at Ernakulam, and is said that it was him who suggested the screen moniker Jayan.
Throughout all the movies that he acted, regardless of whether it was the plastic costume dramas that passed under the guise of Vadakkan Pattukal from Udaya Studios, or the testosterone-oozing Machismo roles that revolved around his charisma, Jayan was a statement of whatever the existing heroes were scared of doing onscreen. He started off as the machismo villian, graduating to supporting roles, and “could sleep around the first half of the movie and seamlessly move on to be the hero in the next second without batting an eyelid” – the audience would sigh in contentment. Jayan could be anything on screen and you wouldn’t mind, because he was, you see, Jayan !
With Thacholi Ambu (1978) he was being recognised as ‘hero material’ and if you watched the movie, you know that the rest of the crew paled around his sheer screen presence. And from there on, in a matter of 4 years, he left hsi indelible mark in Malayalam mainstream cinema, as that of an Action hero, who could just be, well anything he wanted to be onscreen and get away with it, including the audacious stunts he performed without any stand-ins, which nearly cost his life once, during Aana Pachan (1978) Ariyappedatha Rahasyam (1981) …thank you ‘dear friend‘ for that correction ! where he feigned being gored by the elephant which the elephant didn’t take too kindly and came close to repeating it for real. Sadly, he wasn’t so lucky the second time around where he upped the 
stakes on a windy, searing hot afternoon at the wastelands of Sholavaram, as the crew filmed the climax of Kolilakkam(1982), crashing down with the helicopter that he was trying to vault upto, from a moving motorbike! The saddest part was the Director had canned the shot at the second time around, but Jayan wasn’t satisfied and went for Take 3 !
The historical query of “Where were you when JFK was shot?” doesn’t come anywhere near the equivalent one in Kerala, of, “Where were you when you heard about Jayan’s death?” and a generation would rattle off details without even pausing to think. THAT was Jayan’s charisma. From villian to supporting actor ( what an amusing phrase) to hero, Jayan seems to have seen them all in the shortest time possible. Between 1980-82, he was delivering box-office blockbusters, one after the other, most of the characters mostly old arrack in new kitchy bottles.
Courtesy : theactorjayan.com
He made six-packs a fashion statement even before Salman Khan saw the insides of a gym, and could flaunt bell-bottoms that would make Elvis looking for a place to hide.
In all the reams that have been written about Jayan, there are two omissions that I find glaring – his natural adeptness at humor, with a dash of mischief and his capacity for Natural Emoting when allowed – not the contrived, teeth-gnashing that his directors made him do to keep up the tempo !If you have watched Karimbana (1980), you will know what I’m talking about. He was emoting his heart out, being the character and not Jayan, for once on celluloid.
He pirouetted, jived, two-stepped with his favorite co-star Seema for the maximum number of productions ( who can forget the evergreen Kannum Kannum), stole innumerable diamonds for Jose Prakash ( a celluloid karma perhaps for discovering the star in him, perhaps?) and walked through it all, at times with a Lee Enfield .303 in his hand at times, at times bare chested but most of the times with a brazen confidence and screen presence that made the rest wilt under the heat.
RIP Jayan, and rest assured, as long as Malayalam Cinema is around, you will be around.
Two resources online for Jayan that I have come across in my trawling.
1. Manorama Online’s micro-site on Jayan, you can access it here.
2. His purportedly Official Website – a collection of a lot of photographs and nothing else. You can access it here.
The eternal Kannum Kannum Thammil Thammil.
Silence is more talkative…..no words about Jayan…this loss is forever..My interest in action films met with a nosedive since 1980…I see international movies,but always think of Jayan in the Hero’s place and think..it would have been better if Jayan performed that particular role..he was blessed with capturing voice,action oriented movements (which cannot be rendered by anybody else),dancing skills which he displayed in movies,especially in Kolilakkam and Garjanam..A billion words are not enough to say about Jayan…
Re-re-re-read the post about Jayan before making an online purchase of JAYAN: JEEVITHAVUM CINIMAYUM by PT Varghese (Published by lal Books). Has anyone over here read JAYANTE KATHA by Joshi George or the 1981 bestsellers JAYAN AMERICAYIL and JAYANATE MARANAM KOLAPATHAKAMO two books which capitalized on his death. would love to read ‘em
Dear Narayan,
I’m sure die-hard fans of his will have a copy with them. Remember reading about Rajan, who is a Section Engineer with Railways at TVM who even has a statue of his made in his courtyard.I think from Pallikkathodu.Will confirm.He has a huge library on Jayan, I recall reading. Do share if you manage to get in touch with him. Thanks.cm
I remember reading both of them and even recall the cover jacket of Jayan Americayil, with the famous publicity shot of Kolilakkam with the Statue of Liberty in the background
first time i am hearing about Rajan. lets invite him to OMC. could you rake your mind- who was gthe author of these conspiracy theory books.
Dear Narayan,
.thanks, cinematters
I am hoping that you would find time for this ( evil smirk ) as in getting to meet him at TVM, getting hold of the books, maybe take copies and also write about it here
Please provide a small review on Jayan:Jeevithavum Cinimayum once you finish it
A Real man who is stylish and blessed with potential and caliber of international level..nobody to replace him…who has the guts to do the daredevil performance like him…
Malayalathinte Anaswaranaya ‘Jayan’ Ennum keraleeyarude hrudayathill jeevikkunnu. Krishna Chari, Chennai.
Well written:) Glad you wrote about him. was he married? I heard he had no family at all.
Hi,
Thanks so much for writing in..regards..CM
He was unmarried at the time of his untimely death, but there were rumor mills churning about how close he was to finalising his engagement with his lady love, whom the media thankfully gave a wide birth and never dragged into the frenzy that followed post his demise. Then again, we should be celebrating his movies, shouldn’t we?
Wow, and to think I missed this post the first time around! Maybe it was better he died when he did? He is forever enshrined as the dashing young hero, who epitomised masculinity on screen. I was too young to have a crush on him
but that didn’t prevent me from avidly watching all his movies when they came on re-runs. I’m not too sure of his capabilities as an actor – maybe because there really weren’t any films that challenged him as an actor, or maybe (with even more truth) he got typecast as the ‘action hero’ and therefore didn’t get any other role; but he definitely had charisma, a screen presence that made you forget everyone else when he appeared in front of the camera.
I remember a very soft role of his – with Shobha – in Ormakal Marikkumo? Seema and he made a fantastic screen pair.
Hi Anu,
Yes, Ormakal Marikkumo was one of his ‘soft’ roles, and also, have you watched Etho Oru Swapnam, one of his earlier movies ? That would be enough to assess his calibre as an Actor, as far as I’m concerned. Sadly, he never did any thing close to that ever. .Thanks..cinematters
7 years of prolific activity, and gone in a blaze of glory. Maybe the epithet of Evergreen Hero suits him better. As Madhu so rightly ointed out, ” To every Malayali, he will always be the young, dashing Action Hero. Its impossible to see him any other away. Even Destiny ensured that.” How true. His Death Anniversary falls the coming week, and I am just about putting together my lil tribute.
there were many such soft roles of Jayan in IVIDE KAATTINU SUGANDHAM, ANUPALLAVI (the only film where Jayan showed his comedy talent), ABHINIVESAM, SAAYOOJYAM, ORU RAGAM PALA THAALAM, etc
He is a Real Hero in Malayalam Film Industry. No other Malayalam Film actors is compared with jayan, because he is “Different”. What I say about him, I don’t know, he is a one of a “phenomenan” in Malayalam Films.
We help to New Generation for understanding more things about Jayan, that’s our duty, because “Jayan orikalum marikila, anum malayalikalude ormayil jayan jeevekium” .
Dear Adarsh,
Thank you for writing in about your outlook on Jayan. I completely agree with your view on Jayan being one of a kind in Malayalam films. And this is a small step in a much needed effort to compile and preserve his legacy for posterity. Thanks so much once again,…regards..Cinematters
Mr Prince,
You don’t know about Jayan. You should watch movie Sarapancharam.
I’ve learned something more about Jayan from your post. He did go out in a blaze of glory.
Let me also state that I love the way you write, makes for an interesting reading…
Sunny
Dear Sunny,
Thank you for those kind words. He really did go out in a blaze of glory as yo said, and on hindsight, it was kind of befitting for someone who walked in that magical middleground where hard action met grace and charisma. What Madhu mentioned in an interview was absolutely true, he would ALWAYS remain that dashing young hero till kingdom come for all those who have watched his movies. Thanks again..Regards..CM
Hey, Thanks for this post. From those old times, if am asked to pick my fav, it would be none other than Jayan. The stunning Seema and macho Jayan make such a beautiful pair
Hi Zaira,
Thats so true, the pairing had blurred the lines between reality and ‘reelity’ that most ost of the conspiracy theories that revolved around jayan’s accident involved her real-life husband IV Sasi too ! Few knew that It was him who stood in place of her brother during the Wedding rituals, including holding the umbrella for the just-married couple out of the temple sanctorum. Thanks…CM
If you were from Gods own country, two important things happened in India that concerned you at the cusp of the 80′s. On a very sad and balmy afternoon in November, in 1980, Jayan slowly walked out of this life in a clutch of events that could have at best matched his on-screen persona. The Asiad in New Delhi bringing the magic of color TV broadcast and thereby cinema for the first time in India into your living room two years later in 1982. Though two years apart, it somehow in a very crazy way brought together an appropriate testimony to the fact that life is an ocean – smooth, pleasant and optimally windy one day and raucously murderous on another. ( I know, I know, but I hope you can somehow understand the big picture of it)
Jayan was my first super-hero. And that’s how he will eternally remain – young, full of verve and the proverbial snook at anything that dared to be conservative in his presence. If there was a rebel and a violent one at that, it was Jayan who set the mould. And anything that is written about him will always have an underlying sense of power – precisely what Jayan would have wanted and therefore inspired. Everything about him was trademarked and, sadly today, even merchandised into derisive mimicry that people guffaw about so easily.
Somewhere, in some parallel universe, he probably reigns at a ripe age of 71. For me, he will remain the sepia-toned youngster who brought style and panache to an otherwise boring landscape of action-hero detritus that just remained very wannabe.
I don’t know whether to tag him the uncrowned emperor or mookkilla rajyathe muri mookan rajavu comparing with the action heroes from else where. Anyways he entertained us to the hilt while he was at it.
Dear Prince,
THAT was what made him stand out, pure unadulterated entertainment – he served a purpose on screen which the other ‘lead actors’ found terrifying, that of being the loud, brazen, all cylinders firing action man. With that, the limits you had were the limits you set for yourself. That was Jayan…CM
Dear Prince,
Jayan reigned supreme when there were no CGI or Fx to create any effects as we see today. He was really committed to his craft and he was about entertaining cine goers like you and me. I think he mentioned that on one of his interviews close to his death. The fact is he was never utilized properly by the directors of those days, his commercial clout made him the toast of the industry. Action movies after action movies were being planned exploiting his physique and popularity. He had tremendous acting talents, some of his early movies will attest to the fact, Sarapancharam, Etho Oru Sapnam are some examples. I am the person who is doing a documentary on his life, which have finished shooting recently, and it was a great journey for me to learn about an amazing individual who once was the back bone of Malayalam industry, however short period that was. It is amazing that even after 3 decades his colleagues and friends talk about him as if he was alive!!! There were other actors too who passed away later, whom are hardly being ever mentioned. Probably his death and the profound shock that has left on the millions of his fans at that time contributed to his continuing popularity. I can tell you one thing I met him in person, few days before his untimely demise, and the memory is still fresh in my mind….such was the charisma of the person that Jayan was!!!
Dear George,
Just the one that I wished I could get in touch with, specially on the even of Jayan’s Anniversary. Wanted to check with you whether the documentary is finally done and whether it would be released tomorrow at the commemoration meeting at VJT Hall ? Is there a DVD release planned, and if so, where could I get hold of a legal copy ? The teaser looked very promising, and I am very much looking forward to it. All the very best in you endeavors.. I’m sure Prince will respond with his thoughts on Jayan soon 
Thanks again for passing through and writing in..regards..cinematters
This is an absolute pleasure
PS: While we are at it, could you please impress upon the admin team at theactorjayan.com on the immediacy of a complete overhaul of that website, and most importantly, a spell check , starting from “SPREAD THE WORLD” on the Homepage? Thanks.