I'm glad viewers recognized me by my voice: Jayakrishnan

Actor Jayakrishnan N, the tall and handsome hero of Malayalam mega serials of the late 90s, was the heartthrob of many a young girl, with his unique masculine voice.
The actor is now back on the small screen with the serial CBI Diary, aired on Mazhavil Manorama. Although he has been away for six years, his roles like the anti-hero Jagan in Amma and protagonist Dhathan in Sooryakanthi have kept him alive in the hearts of his audience.Jayakrishnan, who made his entry through Doordarshan serials, acknowledges that it was serials which made him find acceptance among the public as an actor. In a chat, Jayakrishnan reveals more about his current serial, his acting career, new projects and more.
The journey so far
I developed a passion for acting from the theatre performances my friends and I did for our arts club at my hometown, Kuzhimattom in Kottayam during our teenage. The longing to become an actor made me land in Thiruvananthapuram after college. I started out giving narrations for documentaries. Later I got the opportunity to assist veteran cinematographer Sunny Joseph, and made my acting debut on television through the serial Ninavukal Novukal, directed by Sunny sir in 1997. But it was my role in Sooryakanthi (1998) which gave me a break in the industry and turned me into a busy actor. It was the time Surya TV was launched and I tried my hand at anchoring a weekly show on films. I wanted to take a break so I didn’t do any new projects after my last serial Manasaveena, which was aired in Mazhavil Manorama in 2012. All through, I could do supporting roles in films as well, and have a small role in Pulimurgan even.
When the audience recognised me through my voice!
The director of CBI Diary, Venu, and scriptwriter Maman K Rajan are my friends. I have never done an investigation based serial in my career, but when they briefed me about the show I felt that it was just the thing I needed to come back with a bang. The first promo of the serial showed me from the back, with only my voice in the background. I was immediately bombarded with calls and messages from people saying it is a nice comeback for me. It was the best appreciation for me as an actor and I was happy that though I had kept away from the industry for six years, people recognised me from my voice.
So yes, my voice is my identity and I thank my parents for it. My father has the same voice and when he picks a call, my friends think it’s me. I have been flooded with motivating feedback from my friends and the audience after the first episode as well.
My role as CBI officer Sharafudeen
Though I have portrayed police roles in films, it is for the first time I am getting into the skin of an investigation officer, as a protagonist. The show features a series of crimes and its investigation, by my character, Sharafudeen, a CBI officer. The serial will have a total of 35 episodes for each of the crime stories. The first case is about the murder of a wealthy businessman, Victor John, played by actor Ashokan.
Sharafudeen is one of my favourite characters and so I don’t feel tired even we extend our shooting schedules late into the night, even till 3 am the next day. Also, the making of the serial is like shooting a movie. Nowadays the audience love to see the rich frames and locations in the serials, similar to that in movies. We have tried to induce the feel of detective novels to the audience through the serial.
Up Next
Apart from the current serial, I have two upcoming films in my kitty, a Malayalam film Kaimattam and a bilingual film Ayina which will mark the comeback of actor Napolean to Malayalam films. I am debuting in Kannada through the film Lungi. I am not particular about the roles I do, I take life in a positive manner.