He may have faded into Bollywood oblivion years ago, but 80s superstar Jackie Shroff looks ready to step out and soak up the spotlight. His most-recent performance as the menacing don Yashwardhan in ‘Aurangazeb’ hints at his keenness to get back into action. “If there’s something nice I’d definitely do it,” he validated our thought. “If you have some good roles, I’d do it for you,” he quipped.Jackie’s suave personality and impeccable style was abundantly evident at the fashion launch of a leading Indian men’s fashion brand - More Mischief - at Jumeriah Emirates Towers in Dubai.
Unlike the stiff tone that’s evident when interacting with today’s stars, Jackie was a breath of fresh air, speaking his mind nonchalantly and obliging for photo-ops without any fuss. Clearly, a true trademark of a real star. Talking about stardom and whether the dynamics have changed over the years, he elucidated that “fame is only momentary”. “Earlier days, they (stars) used to last longer. But, today, they are replaced really fast. One comes, and goes out in no time. “Some remain. Like Chintuji’s (Rishi Kapoor) son (Ranbir). He’s one of the finest and he’s hanging around. At such an young age, he’s doing superbly.”He’s also eager to watch his son – Tiger Shroff – take the plunge with ‘Heropanti’. “He should come in February,” announced a proud father. The actor dad, however, isn’t ready to play a over-protective father and lecture his son on how to play Bollywood. “He’s a great kid. He’s a sportsman. He’s one of the best basketball players in India, and he’s a fantastic football player. He’s pretty disciplined.
No smoking. No drinking. No late-night revelries. He’s focused on his work.” With Bollywood known to be harsh to young minds, and the unfortunate Jiah Khan death looming in the backdrop, the uber cool Jackie isn’t too concerned about how his son would deal with sticky situations in his career. “I am never worried about anybody. Whatever is written in one’s destiny will eventually unfold. That’s what my mother said. What has to happen… will happen. Your thinking, your worrying will not make any difference.” Talking more about Jiah’s untimely death, he said, “It’s unfortunate whatever has happened. But, the film industry should not be targeted. There are a lot of kids, who unfortunately if they fail in their exams they take their life. They aren’t dealing with the situation. It’s very sad. I think it’s something that should not happen.” Shifting into a more optimistic tone, Jackie listed out his current Bollywood projects. “I’ve finished working on ‘Zaalim Dilli’ and have signed on Satish Kaushik’s ‘Gangs of Ghost’.” He’s also finishing up work for ‘Dhoom3’ and Rajnikanth’s epic drama ‘Kochadaiyaan’.