Industry mein yeh nepotism nepotism chal raha hai. Iska baap hero hai toh yeh bhi ban gaya. Woh Zyada mushkil hai bachche ke liye. Mere 220 films Ka vazan hai Tigerke sar pe. His father is an actor so there will be constant comparisons. My father was an astrologer so people had no expectations from me”
Jackie Shroff speaks straight from the heart. He isn’t diplomatic and has no qualms about sharing his opinion just the way it is. In a previous interview with Bombay Times, when asked about his son Tiger, the father didn’t hold back at all.
He said, “I was unkempt but so is Tiger. You will always find him in sweatshirts and track pants. He is essentially an out and out sports person — football, basketball, hockey, skating, cycling— he’s into that. That’s him. He’s an actor after that.”
Reminiscing his debut and the nepotism debate, he said, “At 26, Tiger became the youngest action star and set a standard for himself. Everyone now calls me Tiger ka baap and that is the proudest moment for me. Ma ki kasam. Kids say, ‘Tiger cha baba bagh’. He is no longer Jaggu sir ka beta. Mummies used to know me but now they say, ‘tiger nu daddy che’. Naseeb hai. Industry mein yeh nepotism nepotism chal raha hai. Iska baap hero hai toh yeh bhi ban gaya. Woh Zyada mushkil hai bachche ke liye. Mere 220 films Ka vazan hai uske sar pe. Tiger has to get out of his dad’s shadow. Thank god he has carved his own image and path in the industry, which is nothing like mine. His dance, action, style is totally different.”
Speaking of comparisons, he added, “It’s tough for him. His father is an actor so there will be constant comparisons. My father was an astrologer so people had no expectations from me. Of course it wasn’t easy for me either. In 80s we had Bachchan sahab, Vinod Khanna, Dharmendra so I was lucky that I was even accepted and I hit the jackpot right in my first film Hero (1983). Same for Tiger. He has been lucky, too. More cinema halls have opened now. There are web series so there are more opportunities for actors. Technology is advanced so there’s an audience for all.”
When Tiger stepped into the industry, his unconventional looks became a talking point. The father argued, “About this whole macho macho comparison, he is young. He is still growing. He is a cub for God’s sake and he is getting there. Also, I am glad that he does not look like what people expect him to. Matlab Jackie ka bachcha hai toh daadhi ke saath hi pait se bahar aayega kya? Being compared to Kareena memes! That was cute. And you should see his replies to those comparisons and memes. He was cool with it. He knows his action well so he knew when he fought on screen or danced, he looked like a Tiger. It’s tough for a guy to dance well when he is good at action. But he does both well.”
