Tamil actor Jai, who made his mark with films like 'Subramanipuram', 'Goa' and 'Raja Rani', is in the news these days for one of his statements. The actor recently revealed that he had converted to Islam in 2011. Jai told that after following different religious traditions, he felt such equality and peace in the mosque, which changed his thinking. According to the actor, he was never treated like a celebrity in the mosque and this touched his heart. Jai clarified that his religious conversion has nothing to do with the ups and downs of his film career.
In a recent conversation with Galatta Plus, Jai told that earlier he used to follow many religious traditions. She also wore garlands for Sabarimala and followed traditions associated with Christianity. However, according to the actor, he had some experiences in temples which disturbed him from within. He says, “I believed in all Gods and thought everything was fine. But there came a time when I faced some insults and unexpected situations in temples. Many such things kept happening continuously.”
Jai told that while going to the mosque for the first time, he felt a different kind of peace. He told, "When I went to the mosque for the first time, I saw that everyone was standing in a line and offering Namaz. Everyone knew that I was an actor, but no one talked to me inside the mosque. After coming out, people talked to me very respectfully. No one even asked for a photo. Then I thought that maybe there is equality here. Is everyone seen the same here? This impressed me a lot."
Jai said that no one is seen any differently inside the mosque on the basis of his stardom or identity. He says, "Inside the mosque, only God is considered supreme. No matter how big a celebrity someone is, he is not looked at differently there. There we get full space to offer our prayers. No one asks us to leave early. We can pray for as long as we want. It felt like yoga to me. After following Islam, my nature also started changing."
Jai also confirmed in 2019 that he has been following Islam for a long time. During that time he had also considered changing his name to Aziz Jai. However, the name was not officially changed until later. Talking about film career, Jai made his debut in 2002 with Thalapathy Vijay starrer film 'Bhagwati'. Later he gained popularity with films like 'Subramanipuram', 'Chennai 600028', 'Engeyum Appothum' and 'Raja Rani'. Recently he was seen in 'Sattendru Maarudhu Vaanilai'.
