40 years in Bollywood, Jackie Shroff still dedicated to his craft

Actor said nothing has changed for him and expresses his desire to work with his son, Tiger Shroff

The 90s introduced us to the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Anil Kapoor and many others. While the King of Romance still stars in films opposite young heroines, Anil is often seen playing an elderly role, albeit his looks charm audiences now more than they did earlier. Likewise, Jackie Shroff who has a career spanning over four decades, has appeared in over 200 films. And with over five more films waiting to release, the 61-year-old actor said that he still works with his heart, reported Business Standard.

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Jackie made his acting debut in 1982 with Dev Anand's Swami Dada. A year later, he was cast in a lead role for the movie Hero, after which he was seen in a string of hits like Yudh, Karma, Ram Lakhan, Tridev, Parinda, Saudagar, Khalnayak, 1942: A Love Story and Rangeela. He was most recently seen on-screen in J P Dutta's Paltan.

PHOTO: CINESTAAN

But has the criteria for doing a film changed over the years for him? "Nothing has changed. I still work with my heart. Some people take me in the films thinking it will change their life or the movie. Sometimes I look at the banner, sometimes at the script and sometimes at the director. But emotions is something I am associated with," the Happy New Year actor revealed.

Jackie, whose given name is Jai Krishan Kakubhai Shroff, has not only worked in Bollywood, but has also branched out to movies in different languages like Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Bhojpuri and Gujarati in his four-decade-long career.

PHOTO; JAN SATTA

When asked if he would ever like to take a break, he replied, "My work is my break. It takes me to different parts of the world and I get to meet different people." The sexagenarian added that he aspires to remain healthy and reciprocate the "love and affection to all the people" who have helped him become the person that he is.

Jackie, who is fondly called Jaggu dada by his fans, has often been labelled as the "cool dude of Bollywood". When questioned on how he looks at the tag, Jackie said, "I am what I was before joining films. Nothing has changed and I hope nothing will ever change. I'll always remain the way I am."

PHOTO: THE INDIAN EXPRESS

Father of actor Tiger Shroff, the Devdas actor also mentioned that he wants to work with his son. "I definitely want to work with Tiger someday. I would love for it to be a part of our film industry history," added Jackie who is the brand ambassador of thalassaemia in India.

He added that his mother-in-law educated him on thalassaemia. "Since it is preventable, I thought why not share this with other people and educate them instead of having more thalassaemia patients opting for blood transfusion throughout the course of their life," explained Jackie.

PHOTO: CINEMA EXPRESS

The star continued that celebrities can help spread awareness about many issues that exist in the community. However, he feels that this would never be possible if the media does not help get the message across.

Revealed: The one thing Tiger Shroff will never seek father Jackie's advice on

On the acting front, Jackie has several films in his kitty. These include Bharat, Saaho, Firrkie, Prasthanam and Romeo Akbar Walter.

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