My character has matured in 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns': Jimmy

New Delhi: Actor Jimmy Shergill, who is reprising his role in "Tanu Weds Manu Returns", says his character of Raja has matured in the Aanand L Rai-directed sequel.

The 44-year-old actor said the movie will remain true to the spirit of the original 2011 sleeper hit that chronicled the rocky romance between a small town girl and an NRI doctor.

"The director has smartly woven the plot into a completely different situation. Barring a couple of new characters, which have been introduced in the sequel, everything has started from where the first part ended. Some characters have matured while others have retained their original vibe," Jimmy said.

"I am returning as Tanu's (Kangana Ranaut) ex-fiance Raja Awasthi. The character has matured and toned down by 5-6 years. He doesn't have to try to be convincing this time. Just one look at him suffices." There is some essence of Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Lucknow in the movie, he added. It is Jimmy's third collaboration with Rai whom he considers one of his closest friends in the industry.

"Aanand is one of the closest friends I have. It is always a pleasure working with him. He is one of the nicest human beings you will find in the industry," the actor said.

"Tanu Weds Manu Returns" is the second time Jimmy has acted in a sequel. Before that, the actor starred in "Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns", which was a sequel of "Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster".

When asked how was his experience and comfort level with the current trend of sequels, the actor said, "Both 'Tanu Weds Manu' and 'Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster' did well at the box office and were liked by the audience. I was not surprised when their sequels were conceived as we knew that there was a seed for another story."

The actor's affinity towards directors like Anand L Rai, Tigmanshu Dhulia and Neeraj Pandey is well established as he has starred in many of their projects.

"There will always be a special bond between us as all the three made their directorial debut with me (Aanand L Rai's 'Strangers', Neeraj Pandey's 'A Wednesday' and Tigmanshu Dhulia's 'Haasil')."

Jimmy is currently shooting for Punjabi film "Shareek" being directed by Navaniat Singh. It is scheduled to release in the latter half of this year. Besides, another Punjabi film 'Hero-Naam Yaad Rakhi' is in the post production stage. The movie, being directed by Baljit Singh Deo, is scheduled to release by mid-2015.