Jackie Shroff, one of the most stylish actors of Bollywood turns 60 today. In his three-decade-long career, he has played versatile roles and is remembered for his pathbreaking performances.
As we all know, the 1980s turned out to be a disappointing decade for Bollywood. Several established stars witnessed their fortunes plummeting at the Box Office. In the early 80s, a new crop of actors like Anil Kapoor, Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt made their debut on the silver screen. Jaikishen Kakubhai Shroff, who made his debut in Dev Anand’s Swami Dada (1983), was one of them. However, he found a mentor in Subhash Ghai, who already had tasted success with Kalicharan and Karz, cast him as a solo lead in Hero with a screen name Jackie. The film became an overnight success and there was no looking back for him.
Recently, Jackie appeared on Koffee With Karan along with his actor-son Tiger Shroff. The veteran stole the limelight with his quirky replies, be it him describing Ranbir Kapoor as a heart-broken man or his fondness for Madhuri Dixit. I am sure he gives the young blokes a run for their money.
Now coming back to the point. Being a cinema lover, I have watched most of his films in which Jackie impressed everyone with his performance. Donning a moustache, he played his roles with utmost sincerity irrespective of the screen time of his character in a film. Be it the antagonist Hilal Kohistani in Mission Kashmir, Wing Commander Andy Bajwa in Border, Chunni Babu in Devdas, his performances speak volumes about his acting prowess. If he could play a rough convict in Karma, he was an ideal son in Ram Lakhan and Khalnayak. He is an all-weather friend for a heart-broken Devdas and stays with him till the end. Just see this song from the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film featuring him and SRK.
Jackie redefined the image of a Bollywood hero. Now, the lead protagonist could speak in typical Mumbaiyaa dialect without hesitation, beat up rivals and could go to any extent to win the heart of his lady love. Several actors played local toughie but according to me, nobody could match the swag which Jaggu Dada carried with him.
We wish him a very happy birthday.
