Most of the time, when a film is a hit or a flop, the actors are held responsible for it. But there’s an actor whose work has always been appreciated even if the film has bombed at the box office. He is Jimmy Sheirgill. Jimmy Sheirgill was born into a Punjabi-Sikh aristocratic family. His paternal great aunt was the famous Indian artist Amrita SheirGil. This Hungarian-Indian painter has been called “one of the greatest avant-garde women artists of the early 20th century” and a pioneer in modern Indian art. Jimmy’s father too has been a noted painter, so the ‘art’ runs in his royal blood. His regal looks and well mannered behaviour too prove that. #JimmySheirgill has been active in film industry for the last 27 years. Having started his journey from a critically acclaimed, #Gulzar directed #Maachis, he has come a long way. He has been part of fabulous projects and has always stood his ground despite the amount of screen time allotted. #Mohabbatein, #MereYaarKiShaadiHai, #MunnabhaiMBBS, #LageRahoMunnabhai, #Charas, #HumTum, #TomDickandHarry, #EklavyaTheRoyalGuard, #AWednesday, #TanuWedsManu, #TanuWedsManuReturns, #SahebBiwiAurGangster, #Special26, #BullettRaja, #Fugly, #BangBang, #Uvaa, #HappyBhagJayegi, #SahebBiwiAurGangster3, #ShubhMangalSaavdhan, #DeDePyarDe, #PatiPatniAurWoh, #DoubleXL are a few films from a very long list of movies Jimmy has been part of.
Jasjit Singh Gill aka Jimmy Sheirgill did interact with our Senior Editor Mr Keerti Kadam while promoting his latest film #Aazam. He said that he never ever thought of being a part of entertainment world. He was good at studies and his life was going on smoothly. But his cousins and friends started coaxing him to try his luck in films. Hesitant initially, because he did not have any formal training in this field and also he did not know anybody in the city, he thought of giving it a try and landed in Mumbai.
What prompted you to be part of the film industry?
My elder brother, who is a decade older to me, and a cousin insisted that I should definitely take a chance to become an actor. Frankly I never thought on those lines but I didn’t know why they were so insistent A lot of others joined in their inclination saying give it a try for about a year and then decide. So I thought I can visit a new place and if nothing works out, will return to Punjab. But Mumbai is Mumbai. Once you step into this magical city, you seldom want to leave it. Same thing happened to me. I fell in love with Mumbai and decided that I’ll settle in this city come what may.
Since I had made a decision to stay back, I started taking myself and acting as a profession seriously. I joined acting classes of Roshan Taneja and started working on the craft. While looking for work I was offered a small role by Gulzar saab in Maachis. But a lot of people discouraged me to not take up that part as it was small. But I knew within me that I do not know anybody out here, I do not have connections, and importantly I did not want to return to Punjab, so I took up that role and it turned out to be a turning point in my life. I also thought that I’ll get to learn a few things being around Gulzar saab, Tabu etc. Maachis is a memorable film for me and it will always have a special corner in my heart, because it is my first film. Also working alongside stalwarts like Kulbhushan Kharbanda saab, Om Puri saab, cinematographer Manmohan Singh I gained a lot of knowledge which helped me in my future projects. Of course I knew Chandrachur Singh and that helped bonding quickly. And others like Ravi Gossain, Amrit Gill, Suneel Sinha were also too good, some of whom are still in touch. In fact, recently I worked with Suneel bhai in a web series and was mighty delighted to meet him and work with him after such a long gap.
You do not seem to have grown up since Maachis. What’s the secret behind your youthful looks?
I did my first film in 1996, so it’s been 27 years that I have been part of the entertainment industry. Coming to your question, there is no secret. I take care of myself. I work hard. Somebody had told me and I know it too, that after passing a certain age one must start taking extra care about oneself. You never know when the ‘light will be off’. I follow a strict diet and is seriously into Yoga. I go for jogging too. I am into dietetics and extremely conscious of what I eat. In this industry looking good and presentable is the need of the hour and I believe in that. It’s a requirement of the job and almost each and every actor does it. That’s why I seriously take care of my health. No one is fortuitous to have a hassle free health.
Also I avoid night shoots as far as possible. I have done a few horror films which required about 40 odd days of night shoot. But at the end of the day (night in this case) you end being a ‘Bhoot’. Also night shoots play havoc with your body physiologically and creates health hazards. I do not mind 4-5 days of night-shoot but beyond that it irks me because body repairing takes long. So usually I avoid night shoots, unless they are of utmost importance.
But for your film Aazam, you did a lot of night shoot…….
Yes. But there’s a reason behind it. Aazam is story of one night around the happenings in the underworld. But the reason behind me agreeing to night shoot is different. I am fond of reading. I like to read scripts. Even if I am given a narration, I demand a script and after reading it I decide on doing the film or not. One of my team members told me that there’s an enquiry about a film which requires 45 days of night shoot. I instantly told them to not go ahead with it and forgot about it. Cut to, once I was going through scripts and I came across a script written in Devnagri. Usually most, or you can say almost all, scripts are written in Hindi but in English script. I was curious to read this script written in Hindi. Within a few pages I realised that this is something different and has a lot of potential for actors. Without taking a break I finished reading it and felt captivated. I asked my staff to find out whose script it is. They told me that it’s the same script which he had requested 45 nights and we already have sent a refusal. I told them to find out whether somebody is locked for that particular role. And even if the answer is yes, find out whether there’s another role, even if small. The script I was reading was Aazam and I was ready to allot even 80 nights for this script.
My team got in touch with Shravan Tiwari who has written it and is a director too. I met him and he was happy that I had decided to do his film. But looking at him I was a little sceptical whether he’ll do justice to the screenplay and I asked him, ‘Bana to loge na?’ He docilely smiled and said, ‘Koshish jarur Karenge’. And that’s how I came on board for Aazam and night shoot.
What made you ask the director, whether he’ll handle the script?
Frankly I did not want to demean him. Shravan looks docile and is well-mannered without any airs. The script in the question is extremely hard hitting and the proceedings are pacy and gory too. Looking at him externally, anyone wouldn’t have guessed that he would give such a hard hitting underworld film. And I did not want such a finely written piece go to waste. But I was wrong because once we started shooting I realised that this guy is extremely talented. He was meticulous and came on sets well prepared, doing his homework. The screenplay is like a masterclass in script writing. And I am not exaggerating. Shravan is a master story teller. He is confident about his writing and that translates on screen. Within a few minutes into the film, you’ll get an idea that you are in for a treat. He used to come on sets well prepared and used to shoot whatever was required, nothing extra. He is an editor too so he had an exact idea about what’ll be shown on screen. And I did apologise to him for doubting him about his ability. He was cool, smiled and said, ‘Achchi film banate hai’.
In fact Shravan has done a film called Kamathipura. Kamathipura: Teen Khoon Ek Raaz should be a good film. I did not watch it because I did not want to be judgemental of the director. It’s human, that if you do not like his previous work it may hamper your judgement on the sets. Earlier too I have done underworld themed films but Aazam is totally different and the treatment given is absolutely fresh and realistic. It focuses on the underworld without going overboard, it’s connection with politics, the police department etc on a psychological level. Everyone will be perplexed with the crime world depicted in this film. Importantly, the people look like common people but their deeds are atrocious.
People say that I have a soft countenance and how I’ll pull off underworld character. But I trust my directors. There are multiple look tests carried out before finalising a particular look. Again there are workshops, plenary of team, discussion on costumes etc and then a character gets born. There is a lot of work done before going in front of the camera. So yes, I enjoy portraying tough characters despite having a soft face (smiles). Also I want to stress here is that I enquired with the director about the ‘lingo’ to be used in the film. Usually a slang and caricaturist language is used while portraying underworld characters. But the director asked us to refrain from that as he wanted his characters to be more human and relatable. We did not want them to look over the top, as that would have ruined the director’s vision.
You usually play a guy who is rejected by a girl. In Aazam too there isn’t lead female character. How do you look at this?
(Laughs) I don’t mind not getting a girl in the film as long as this doesn’t happen in real life (laughs again). There’s nothing of this sort that I get dejected guy’s roles. This became a talking point maybe after Tanu Weds Manu Returns became a superhit. Somebody compiled a story giving a few references and it caught on. In fact it was such a powerful role that I was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. I have been doing Punjabi films as a leading man and I do get a girl in them. So the talk about my characters not getting a girl should be ignored.
Talking of Punjabi films, I have produced a few Punjabi films. As a producer one must be present on sets on a regular basis. It’s a full time job. You can not leave it to somebody else. Maybe after 4-5 successful films your team can handle affairs whenever you are not on sets. But otherwise if you are not present while shoots, things go awry. So I have taken a break from production and may restart after a while. I am interested in direction too. Actually I like to write and want to direct in future. Also I have an experience of working with some of the best directors in the film industry. But in near future it doesn’t seem to be possible as a lot of good projects are being offered to me lately. Also direction is a difficult job and requires a lot of time. As interesting acting proposals are chasing me right now, I want to concentrate on them.
Any sequels in the offings?
I have no idea. A lot of people are asking me about the sequel of Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster. But no one has approached me for that. In fact, there’s no news of next instalments of Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster or Tanu Weds Manu or Happy Bhag Jayegi. But, yes, I have completed a film by Neeraj Pandey which also has Ajay Devgn and Tabu. And, No, it’s not on the lines of De De Pyar De.
Web series Your Honour was liked by audiences and there’s a demand for it’s sequel. Frankly this is an official adaptation of an Israeli series and when they come up with a sequel, we’ll do it. I have been lucky to have worked with some of the finest directors. All of them have repeated me. I wish Gulzar saab now comes up with a good script and cast me in it. He had, earlier, told me that don’t rely on any one film for your career progression. Keep on working and success will drop in your lap sooner or later. Sometimes you put in a lot of hard work on a film but due to wrong release or lesser promotions, it doesn’t do well then you do feel bad. By pinning hopes on a particular project, your psychological health may get impacted. So I follow my Guru, Gulzaar Saab’s advice and keep working hard.
Social media is gaining importance and a lot of trolling is faced by actors. What do you have to say about it?
Social media is good if used wisely. It was created to bridge the gap between people. It has been beneficial to actors too as they can directly get in touch with their fans. But in recent times there has been a lot of negativity seen here. Some cower and give in. Actors are trolled on flimsy grounds. These faceless people write nasty things which are disturbing sometimes. But I usually ignore these trolls. These trollers just want a 2-minute glory, which you can deny by not reacting.
But an interesting thing is taking place. I have noticed that memes from my films or related to them are being circulated. They are interesting and evoke interest in the said films. A dialogue or a song’s line goes viral. I have come across youngsters praising my work from Maachis. In fact they were not even born when the film was released. I am astonished that people are still talking about Mohabbatein too. Good thing is that all these films are getting an repeat audience on digital space.
