His scene in the salon was also the scene he auditioned for the film. And it was yet another such audition that changed his life. Acting, for Jaffer, happened by kismet. A runner-up of the second season of popular Tamil dance competition Ungalil Yaar Prabhu Deva, Jaffer has his roots in choreography and dance. “I came into this field for choreography and my passion for dance. And Paava Kadhaigal happened unexpectedly.”
Jaffer remembers struggling with camera fear a few years ago. “I was always around friends who would discuss cinema and stuff like that, and a few of them suggested I do auditions just to break this fear. And I was suddenly selected for Paava Kadhaigal,” he exclaims. Until the last minute, the actor couldn’t crack Narikutty’s first shot, where he gives a sermon on honour killing. But Vignesh Shivan saw something in his eyes.
“He just wanted to see how long I could stay without blinking. I usually wear glasses, but stopped using them because I am a dancer. So, my eyes are naturally a bit closed. A lot of my friends call me “ara-bodha kannu” (drunken eyes) because of this, so I am surprised people find this fascinating.”