The Kinnari girl

Ten years ago, she was happily married, with a decent job in a leading corporate. A surprising turn changed things forever, and now she is one of the popular faces on Kannada TV. Jyothi Rai, popularly known as Devika turned actress after noted serial director Vinu Balanja, a relative, offered her a role in his serial. The actress shares her decade-old journey on the small screen, and more.

“Presently, I am busy with Kinnari and Jo Jo Laali daily soaps. My first small venture Bande Bartava Kaala was in 2007. I feel lucky to have been around for more than a decade. I also am deeply humbled that my work still gets recognised and I don’t have to go in search of it. I had nothing to do with acting before and was working in an HR training team at Accenture, and continued even after marriage. It was when director Vinu Balanja, whom I consider as my mentor, was looking for someone and my brother suggested my name that things changed. Thereafter, I did not look back,” says Jyothi Rai.

Soon after her first venture, she got several opportunities to work, including a couple in Telugu serials. “My family — especially my husband encouraged me to take up acting, and they have been a great support. I have acted in more than eight daily soaps, some in Telugu as well. The entire credit of honing my talent goes to Vinu Balanja, who taught me the basics. For someone to survive this long in an industry, talent alone cannot be key, discipline and dedication is what keeps an artiste sailing smoothly,” she shares.

Despite initial hurdles, Jyothi adds that she trusted her natural instincts and this helped her face the camera, emote with the right expressions and language. “It is very hard to survive in this industry, as no new serials are launched every day, and new channels keep upgrading themselves, searching for new faces. It was a different scenario when I started. I had very little time, and my husband worried about my health. I hardly slept for more than four hours, worked round the clock, travelled a lot. Now, I feel more comfortable as even my four-and-a-half-year-old son has become aware of my work,” says Jyothi.

In Kinnari, she essays the role of a mother, and in Jo Jo Laali, an emotionally struggling wife who longs for a child. She is among those individuals that are never satisfied with their work, which keeps her on edge and pushes her towards qualitative work. She also has plans to direct and produce her own serial one day, apart from her dream of running a school.