His first film role was as Vijay's brother in the 2002 film Bhagavathi. Jai was set to make his debut in the lead role in a remake of the Telugu film, 6 Teens, but the film never took off. His first notable role was in Chennai 600028 (2007) and his first lead role was in the critically acclaimed Subramaniapuram (2008). He has since appeared in notable movies such as Goa, Kanimozhi, Aval Peyar Tamizharasi and Vaamanan.