Jyotika’s career trajectory is unlike many of her contemporaries. Born to a Punjabi Hindu father and a Maharashtrian Muslim mother, she was raised in Mumbai. She also made her acting debut in a Hindi film — Priyadarshan’s 1998 romantic comedy Doli Saja Ke Rakhna opposite Akshaye Khanna, but it didn’t fare well at the box office. However, she got more recognition for her debut Tamil movie, SJ Suryah’s 1999 romantic psychological thriller Vaalee, opposite Ajith, which opened the door to a long, fulfilling career in the South across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada film industries.It was only a couple of years ago that Jyotika returned to Hindi movies, and she hasn’t stopped since. After appearing opposite Ajay Devgn in Vikas Bahl’s hit supernatural thriller Shaitaan and alongside Rajkummar Rao in Tushar Hiranandani’s Srikanth in 2024, Jyotika made her streaming debut with the Netflix India crime show Dabba Cartel last year. She’ll next be seen in Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s courtroom drama System, alongside Sonakshi Sinha, on Prime Video India, starting May 22 this week.Jyotika’s homecoming in Mumbai“Bombay 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,” an elated Jyotika told SCREEN in an exclusive interview. “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. Jyotika left Mumbai for Chennai 26 years ago after her debut film flopped at the box office.She believes that while both the film industries have had their issues at different points in time, she’s lucky and grateful to be at the right place at the right time. After a failed Bollywood debut, South came to her rescue. But 25 years later, now that she’s 47, and mother to two kids, she needed the progressive gaze with which Hindi writers look at women today, especially on streaming.“Even in Hindi, I’ve come in at the right time, when I’m 40+. Here, the writing is more varied when it comes to women’s parts. So, I’ve been at the right time in both the places. It’s a good mix of learning for an actor,” says Jyotika, hailing OTT as “a better place to learn”. “There’s work for actors of all age groups. It’s more real and natural, with a different, larger audience,” she asserts.Not done with South yetIt makes poetic sense that Jyotika is finally making her Prime Video India debut as an actor now, six years after her and husband Suriya’s production house 2D Entertainment went against traditional South distributors and exhibitors to release their films directly on the OTT platform during the Covid-19 pandemic. Sudha Kongara’s Soorarai Pottru, starring Suriya, emerged as a pathbreaker, even winining five honours at the 68th National Film Awards.Contrast that to his latest release, RJ Balaji’s action thriller Karuppu, which faced several financial hurdles on the eve of its release, even delaying it by a day. But the tough road yielded desired results as the film has now become the highest grossing Tamil film of 2026, amassing over Rs 160 crore at the global box office. But that doesn’t deter Jyotika from not wanting a theatrical release and focusing solely on OTT projects.Story continues below this ad Suriya and Jyotika moved to Mumbai following the pandemic. (Photo: Instagram/Jyotika)“I don’t really divide it. I see it as growth as an actor,” she asserted. “The phase where I am in right now, I’ve done it all. So, you just see what really excites you and gets you the satisfaction to take back home. You do want the theatre audience to also see you, and you also want a larger audience sitting back home to see you on OTT platforms,” she admitted.But now that Jyotika has relocated to Mumbai with her family, with Suriya shuttling between the city and Chennai for work, would it be safe to assume that she’s now done with the South film industry? After all, her last release down South was Jeo Baby’s 2023 Malayalam courtroom drama Kaathal: The Core, opposite Mammootty, three years ago. But she shut down the rumour before it picks steam.Also Read — Jyotika on marriage with Suriya, parenting: ‘It’s not just him supporting me, I chose to do less work’“My heart is very much in the South. I’ve always been a South Indian at heart because I’ve lived there for 27 years,” maintains Jyotika. “I still do early mornings and no late nights. I still prefer coffee to tea,” she added with a smile. But she also said that staying closer to her parents and her maiden home does feel special. “Definitely, it feels warm to be back home and speak Hindi, all at the right time. The kind of roles they’re writing for 40+ women here, I think we still haven’t gotten it there in the South. So, both of them are my heart and soul,” she said.Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:Jyotika