Jackie Shroff

By Pradeep Kashyap

We recently had the pleasure of meeting Jackie Shroff aka Jaggu aka Jaggu dada, a total charmer, at the shooting of his next home-production Sandhya  .

Earlier Vivek Oberoi was supposed to play the character, which you are playing now?

Nothing like that. I think the character needed a mature person so that's where I came into the picture.

How did this film happen?

During the shooting of Refugee , Shadab Khan narrated the subject to me and I was impressed by it. I found the story gripping and that's how it started.

But why are you making an art film?

I am not making an art film with Sandhya . In fact, I believe that nowadays there isn't much difference between an art film and a commercial film. There is only one kind of film and that is successful film.

How do you see the prospect of Sandhya ?

See, I feel even if you can't predict the success and failure of a film, you can at least try to be on the safer side. We are making this film with a limited budget and tried our level best to stick to the schedule.

Why is it that off late, you have been doing quite a few negative roles?

All the negative roles I have done till date required somebody of my caliber to do justice to the character. The role of Mission Kashmir  came as a challenge for me. They needed an equally strong villain opposite Sanjay Dutt and Hrithik Roshan. Then there was Lajja, Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai  and Farz .

Does that mean that you are experimenting by doing different roles?

Yeah! Now, it's time for me to experiment with different kind of roles and that's what I am doing. I played a soft lover in Albela  and in Yaadein  I played father of three daughters which as again very different. Even my character in Sandhya  has negative shades.

Are you happy with the way people appreciated you in Yaadein ?

Yes, obviously for me it was great.

Tell us something about your role in Agni Varsha  ?

I am playing a Brahmin Mahapurohit in the film. I have even shaved my moustache for the film. It's a great role and again very different.

Which are your forthcoming films?

I have Agni Varsha, Mastana, Devdas  then I will have my Sandhya . From early next year, I will star my new films and finish my backlog. At present, I have 12 films in my hand.

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