- Jason Sanjay declined an acting offer from director Alphonse Puthren to pursue filmmaking
- He chose film school in Canada over an immediate acting career opportunity
- Jason made a 20-minute short film to test his skills as a director during his studies
For most star kids, the first question is when they'll face the camera. For Jason Sanjay, it was whether he wanted to at all.
The son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has revealed that he deliberately turned down an acting offer from Premam director Alphonse Puthren years before making his directorial debut with Sigma, choosing film school and screenwriting over what could have been a ready-made launch.
Jason, reportedly, told Ananda Vikatan that he was around 20 when Puthren approached him with a coming-of-age film after seeing one of his photographs.
But instead of grabbing the opportunity, he walked away.
"I was still a student at the time and had not yet thought of cinema as a professional path. More importantly, I didn't want to listen to the narration and later turn down a filmmaker I admired a lot," he said.
The decision, Jason suggested, reflected something he had realised early that while he grew up surrounded by cinema, he was more fascinated by how films were made than by starring in them.
"Whenever I watch a film, I closely observe the way the story is told, where the story begins, how it opens, and how it is narrated. For me, it is almost like a game," he said.
That curiosity took him to Canada to study filmmaking instead of audition rooms.
There, he wrote a 120-page screenplay before cutting it down into a 20-minute short film - not to impress producers but to test himself.
"I made that film primarily to understand what I was capable of as a director, what worked for me and what didn't," he said.
Returning to India, Jason rewrote ideas, sought feedback from friends and industry insiders, and eventually landed at Lyca Productions after being introduced to producer Tamil Kumaran through his uncle Sanjeev.
Before Sigma finally went on floors, he sought one last round of validation from home.
"I spoke to everyone, my parents, my sister, and my friends. They were all extremely positive, and that gave me a lot of energy. It was then that I truly realised how much faith they had in me," he said, adding that Vijay Sethupathi, Soori, and several others also wished him well.
Looking back, Jason believes the signs were always there.
"When I talk about a film with friends, I'll excitedly say, 'Dude, I watched this movie,' and start telling them the story. I think that was my starting point."
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