In for the long haul
Jimmy Shergill is best known for playing the tough guy in Bollywood films. The roles that he has played right from his debut venture Maachis to the upcoming film Family of Thakurganj follow a similar pattern of rusticness and simplicity. Jimmy looks back at his journey and says it has been an interesting ride. “I have enjoyed the work I have been doing. It’s been more than two decades. When I came to Bollywood in 1993, people almost told me to go back as making a career here was not easy. I joined Roshan Taneja’s acting classes. He had immense faith in me and told me to take things one step at a time and not look out for instant success. Some of my films did well and some did not. But that never disillusioned me. I kept working hard.”
On Family of Thakurganj, Jimmy says, “It has good dialogue, action and songs, and there is a lot of drama. It revolves around the story of a family who lives in a fictitious place called Thakurganj. Only a few members of the family believe in the law while other members are completely lawless in their ways. They wear dark glasses even during the night to look grand and rich. My character is rowdy but his family loves him the way he is.” The film has been directed by debutant director Manoj K Jha. “Manoj was assisting director Tigmanshu Dhulia for so long. I loved the narration of the film and then he gave me the bound script. Tigmanshu also plays an important role in the film. I have known Tigmanshu Dhulia from his Haasil days and then there’s Mahie Gill with whom I have done Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster in three parts. Mahie again is a wonderful actress. So, it was fun working with them again,” says Jimmy.
Jimmy, who plays the role of Nannu in Family of Thakurganj, has essayed similar characters in several other films. “My character, Nannu, is a lawless and quite a firebrand of a guy. But, at the same time, he’s a nice person and has a heart of gold. He is someone who completely believes in lawlessness and doesn’t think twice before hitting someone. But despite all that, he’s very frank with all his family members,” he adds. The film also has veteran actress Supriya Pilgaonkar playing Jimmy’s mother Sumitra Devi.
Despite being in the industry for more than two decades, the actor is extremely choosy about his work. “I don’t usually approach directors for roles. All of them are my friends and when they feel that there is the right role for me, they tell me.
I am not scared of getting a negative reply from them. If a producer-director like Luv Ranjan could find me for De De Pyar De, I am sure the others will certainly approach me.”On maintaining his relationships with his friends from the industry, Jimmy says, “I have a very different equation with directors Tigmanshu Dhulia, Aanand L Rai and Rajkumar Hirani. We are constantly in touch with each other, we lunch and dine together and spend time together. If they don’t have a role for me, they will be clear about it. So, I don’t have to ask them for roles.”
On his upcoming projects, the 48-year-old says, “I am doing a Punjabi film now but I am not producing it. Then I have Smeep Kang’s Jhoota Kahin Ka with Rishi Kapoor that should release soon.”