Jackie Shroff on his rare on screen appearances, his son Tiger and memories of his former home at Teen Batti chawl

Meeting Jackie Shroff for an interview is always a pleasure. The veteran actor is an epitome of serenity. Over a hot cup of chai in his spanking new Bandra Band Stand residence, Jackie speaks...

Your son Tiger is making his debut in Heropanti. Any advice for him?
Heropanti kar raha hai woh. Maaza aayega. I think it is a super title. I was the hero and he will do heropanti. However, he has an identity of his own and is not a replica of me. He is fond of sports and plays extraordinary basketball and soccer.

We used to play kabbadi and kho kho and he is already ahead of me in comparisons. I have full faith in Sajid Nadiadwala and my son. Sajid is among the top producers in the industry today.


You will be seen playing a journalist in Cover Story...
Yes, it will for the first time. In 30 years of my career, I have faced verbal volleys from you all. Now I am playing a journalist, who actually is a war correspondent but is forced by his editor to go and interview an actress.

He doesn't want to do it as he feels anyone can do the job. However, once he enters the house to interview her, the film turns into an intrigue and from thereon, it's only these two characters.

How did Dutch director Laurence Postma convince you to do the film?
My daddy Kakubhai Haribhai Shroff was a journalist. It is something I have never done before and that's what made me say yes to the film. I have been very fond of writing. I used to write on my web page way back in 1992-93. Lekin aajkal log blog shog ke bat karte hai.


Shouldn't you do films with big banners?
Jitna hai bahut hai. Main ek film karta hoon ek time pe. Even Aamir, Shahrukh and Salman do that.

The only difference is that I do films within my budget and they do it in their own. Un logo ka bumaboom (noise) karne ke liye dus log hai aas pass lekin agar raaste pe aaj bhi khade rah jaye, to jitni bheed wahha jayegi, utni mere pas bhi aayegi.

When you want to eat an Alphonse mango you have to wait for one year. Jackie Shroff ko dekhna hai to thoda wait to karna padega!

You have sold your iconic Mount Mary house. Don't you miss it?
I shifted to this house three to four months back. I don't miss that house. The house I miss is my chawl house in Teen Batti. That is where my memories are. Unfortunately, after my brother passed away my mother sold the house. It is what I always miss.