Jyotika, who is currently juggling multiple projects across Tamil and Hindi cinema, has spoken about the need for more well-written roles for women on screen. The actor, who has been prioritising strong female-led characters in the second phase of her career, emphasised that there is still much to explore when it comes to women-centric stories and layered female characters.
In a recent interview with IANS ahead of the release of her upcoming film System, directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, Jyotika spoke about the need for stronger and more diverse roles for women in cinema. “There is a lot that needs to be written for women. If you look at male-centric films, they are doing action, comedy, emotional scenes and a lot more. So, we still have a lot to explore,” she said.
Reflecting on her career trajectory, Jyotika shared, “For the first 15–20 years of my career, I was mostly doing films with heroes, where I had good roles to play. Then came a phase where I started doing women-centric films as the protagonist, portraying everyday women. I’ve played housewife roles in many films, and each of them was very interesting. Later, another phase came where I began portraying different kinds of women.”
The actor also expressed her interest in exploring more unconventional characters, including negative and grey-shaded roles. “There are still so many genres to work on. I haven’t done action yet either,” she added.
Sonakshi Sinha and Ashutosh Gowariker star alongside Jyotika in System. The recently-released trailer opens with Neha (Sonakshi), a determined young lawyer, who takes on a challenge of winning 10 cases from her father (Ashutosh Gowariker) to be worthy of a partnership in his law firm. To pull it off, she recruits Sarika (Jyotika) - a street-smart courtroom stenographer, who harbors motives of her own. What follows is a fast-moving glimpse into intense courtroom battles, messy relationships, and some powerful moments. The film seems to be asking the question: In a system bowed towards power can justice prevail?
Produced under the banner of Baweja Studios by Pammi Baweja, Harman Baweja, and Smitha Baliga, the film has been written by Harman, Arun Sukumar, Ashwiny, Tasneem Lokhandwala, and Akshat Ghildial.
The film will premiere on Prime Video on May 22.