Kids know me as Tiger’s father: Jackie Shroff

Jackie Shroff may have come a long way from his onscreen tapori days, but he seems to maintain the antics off-screen too. In a candid chat, the actor talks about his journey to stardom and how proud he feels being referred to as his son’s father.

In Dhoom 3, my role was sort of the spinal cord of the film. About playing a father in Brothers, I blend in easily. You know me, I am like water — I adapt. If I were to play a bartender, you wouldn’t recognise me.

I think writers are now giving me more emotional roles. When I do emotional roles, it comes straight from my heart — like it did in Ram Lakhan, 1942 A Love Story or Parinda.

Mere ko kuch farak nahi padta (It doesn’t make a difference to me). If I stand on the road, there will be people all around me. When I visit Bandra Bandstand or baba’s house (Salman, Shah Rukh’s house), they see my car and start following me. But kids don’t know who Jackie is. For them I am ‘Tiger’s father’. For older kids, I am Charan Grover (from Happy New Year). But it’s most fulfilling when I’m called ‘Tiger ka daddy’. I can’t explain that feeling.

I am happy that people have accepted him and loved him so much. He trains in gymnastics and dancing apart from going to the health club. It is commendable how he is able to still manage all this in between his shoots.

Apna bacha hai isliye lal nahi kar raha hoon (I am not saying this because he’s my son) — but I think his innocent face, his eyes and the action that he does without any wires.