Download KNOCKED OFF WOOD FOR a man who, claims that after 14 years

KNOCKED OFF WOOD
FOR a man who, claims that after 14 years in the line, it is sheer nervous energy that drives him on rather
than passionate enthusiasm, Jackie Shroff has done well for himself. "From a wooden Hero, I have become
an accepted actor today," he says, submitting his head to his make-up man for bandaging before shooting a
hospital scene, on the sets of Dinesh Gandhi's Lawaris. And now there is the added high of the release of his
first home production Grahan this Diwali by Jackie Shroff Entertainment Ltd. Under the banner of which he
has already announced two more films Atma, a horror film directed by Shyam Ramsay and RajuRajararam a
comedy by David Dhawan. Yet Jackie seems a trifle illat-ease with his new role of producer. "Ijust don't have
the time to go into the script, the songs, the dates of artistes of my films as any normal producer," he
complains. "I have to do most of my production work on the telephone. On the other hand, when I go for my
other shootings, I invariably meet junior artistes and stuntmen who have worked in my home production and
who ask me for their money. Then I have to get on the hotline and request my production people to look into
the matter. Thus I’m on the firing line all the time."
Of course, it is his nice guy’ image that attracts these SOS calls. Charming, gracious, with a heart of gold
within and tons of goodness without. That's how he’s bowled the film industry over. He, himself, has a
simplistic explanation to this. "I consciously work at becoming a better person every day," he says. "It's
important to be a nice person in order to have a nice image even on screen.
Does that mean that he doesn't have strong dislikes? Or that he never indulges in a fit of strong anger? "Of
course I get angry," Jackie answers indignantly. "I get very angry with stars who don't roll down their car
windows at signals nor make contact with people. I have often asked them why they don't do so and they tell
me that they are afraid of the street children carrying diseases! It makes me so mad." Jackie himself keeps
open house and even seems to take a masochistic pride in the fact that he is taken advantage of, more often
than not.
"I like to encourage technicians to turn into producers or directors," he shrugs. "But I have been doing this for
14 years now and it hasn't harmed my career. Okay, so I've never been No 1, but then I haven't been No 100
either!" Right. And now with releases like Partho Ghosh’s Yugpurush, Priyadarshan’s Kabhi Na Kabhi and the
Shashilal Nair directed Grahan, round the corner, he can well be content with his lot in life. What makes him
take up minuscule roles time and again, say like the one in Border? Jackie smiles sheepishly in reply. "Well, I
couldn’t throw up the chance of playing a pilot, which has been my real life dream role since childhood," he
says. "Besides, I just didn't want to do the other role which was offered to me first Sunil Shetty’s role. For
although I like action films, I only like hand fights and can't stand blasts. I’m not a good enough actor to have
bombs blasting in front of my face and not flinch." Otherwise, the easy-going actor claims that he seldom gets
rattled about anything in life. Certainly not about hits and flops. "I saw my brother die before me when I was
10 years old. Since then I've always felt that nothing worse can possibly happen," he shrugs. "1 was as
relaxed before the release of my first film as I am now, even about my home productions. I believe that for
every two steps forward you have to take one step back. So what's the point in worrying? Nothing jars me in
life today. That's my strength.’ Is he planning to change his attitude now that his name has featured in the
so-called Hit List’? "Why have I featured in the hit list?" he asks in return. "1 haven't the least idea. But it does
tend to scare me of course. Today I feel that a bullet can come from anywhere! Just the other day, there were
rumours that I had been shot dead and I kept getting calls with people asking me if I was alive"
A throng of children come up, asking to click a photograph with him. He obliges with his usual grace, chatting
them up and treating them to a round of chocolates before sending them off. "I think the television is the best
medium to reach kids today. And I am planning to act in a serial for them," he replies. "I want to play either
Gulliver or Sindabad or Mandrake I haven't decided which. But I have seen the kind of stuff my children watch
on TV stuff which passes as ‘children's programmes and I am horrified. Have you seen the amount of
violence that an episode of Tom and Jerry has? It would put Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sly Stallone
together to shame. Tom has to go through sheer hell. A lawn mower is run on his back and he goes
absolutely flat, his head is squashed, his. tail is stretched beyond limits... And then they talk about violence in
films"