Tanu Weds Manu Returns (TWMR) has given everyone associated with the hit a reason to smile. But the one who has the biggest grin is surely Jimmy Shergill. Girls found his character of the volatile Raja Awasthi hot. So much so that director Aanand L Rai has been inundated with requests to make his next film on the rustic and rough Raja Awasthi. To say he’s pleased as hell would be an understatement. There is an unmistakable glow on his face on finally being part of a 100 crore film. He can’t praise Aanand L Rai enough for bringing forth this well-earned joy. “Aanandji envisaged Raja as a mellowed version of the hot-headed youth we saw in the original. He’s moved on and has a pragmatic view of life. But he does have flashes of old anger – that – and the fact that he’s tough on the exterior but has a soft core inside is perhaps why people have connected to him more strongly this time.”
There is this delightful moment in the film where Raja exults in Tanu’s praise for his moustache and Jimmy says it’s these little things that make Rai a special filmmaker. “She’s playing up to his ego. He’s flattered that she’s noticed this addition - it makes him believe that she hasn’t forgotten him, that she might still have a thing for him. People are like that in real life too. Aanandji and writer Himanshu Sharma incorporate situations that are rooted in reality. That’s why acting in their films is such a pleasure.”
Another person he has high praise for is the heroine Kangana Ranaut. “Kangana as Datto is amazing. Datto is someone who gives as good as she gets. She has a largeness of spirit that makes her throw away everything she has worked for at the last moment. Kangana brought forth all those nuances and gave a knockout performance.” He’s happy for R Madhavan too for taking up an unsympathetic role and making it his own. “Even married guys are susceptible to attractions but we don’t say it aloud in our films. But Aanandji chose to show it. Madhavan courageously accepted the challenge and came up trumps.”
Twenty years have passed since he came to the industry but his enthusiasm remains undiminished. “My family had given me just 15 days,” he smiles adding, “They thought I would return after 15-20 days. So my first aim was to survive for at least a month and prove them wrong. And now it’s been 20 years. Time does fly fast indeed.” He still remembers his first audition with Gulzar for Maachis (1996), as if it was yesterday. “I went to Gulzar saab in the hope that I might get to assist him. But he said he was casting for his next film, based on Punjab terrorism and asked me to audition. One day, I got a call from Chandrachur, informing me that the film was on and we both would be acting in it.” Being a Sikh, he had heard of atrocities faced by the community after the ‘84 riots. He was studying in Gorakhpur then so was spared facing the worst. The stories stayed with him and helped bring out the angst required for his character. “I was hailed as an intense actor after the film and despite being part of romcoms like Mohabattein, I’m still considered so. Some impressions never die down, I guess.”
His never-say-die spirit is the reason he has stuck on despite all the ups and down and also why he has no qualms being part of an ensemble cast. “I just want to be recognised for my work.
I don’t mind doing even a two-minute role, as long as I get appreciated for it. Like, I had a very small role in Bang Bang but people remember that. I got so many messages from fans about how they wanted to see more of me in the film. People still remember my cameo in Munnabhai MBBS. The film belonged to Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi but my character got a thumbs up because people connected with it. It’s better to be remembered this way than do a lead role which no one notices.” He’s happy in the space he’s currently in, working with his set of directors like Tigmanshu Dhulia, Neeraj Pandey and of course, Aanand L Rai. “They believe in me, they know me inside out and bring out my best. I’ll never say no to even a cameo in their films.”
Looking at him you don’t see a 44-year-old – it’s like the years have not touched him – he still comes across as a fresh-faced Punjabi youngster. He obviously takes good care of his health. Jimmy says it wasn’t always so. He shudders as he recalls the health issues which threatened to sabotage his career. “I suffered from a chronic back condition in 2011. It became so bad that I couldn’t even walk. I had severe vitamin D deficiency too, which added to the woes. I was depressed as hell, going from one set of doctors to another with no end in sight. I used to lie awake at nights fearing not being able to walk ever, about being disabled.”
He states he’s grateful to Vikram Bhatt who helped me get out of this morass. “Vikram called me for a meeting and narrated the plot of Dangerous Ishq. I was excited by the project but I knew I couldn’t shoot it in my condition. He counselled me explaining that it’s just mind over matter. He called up a doctor who advised some lifestyle changes and pumped enough vitamins in me to last a lifetime.” Vikram motivated him each day of the shoot. “Once, we were shooting an action sequence, which required me to run. Vikram could have used a double but he coaxed me to do it myself. I just let go and ran. I was shaking from the effort at the end. But it felt good to see myself running on the monitor. My situation improved from then onwards.”
They say what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. “I’ve become strong mentally. No amount of riches can compensate the loss of mobility. I’m grateful to my wife Priyanka for being there for me and never complaining even once. I wouldn’t have recovered if not for her support. She told me to focus on the positive aspects. My son Veer is a blessing too. Just looking at him makes me feel better. So between the two of them they buoyed me.”
The actor started a parallel career in Punjabi films in 2010 and has become one of the superstars of the industry. “Initially, I did Punjabi films for commercial reasons but now I do them because of the love and respect I’ve received from the Punjabi audience.” He played a hockey-wielding tough guy in his first film Mel Karade Rabba and that has become a trademark of sorts for him. “Once, we were shooting in one remote area when an old man came up to me calling me Rajbir, the name of my character. He asked me as to why I wasn’t carrying my hockey stick and that he loved it when I used hockey to settle scores.”
He has also become a producer with the Punjabi film Dharti (2011), though he doesn’t have a film on the floors currently. “Being a producer is a full-time job. I only take it up when the subject excites me.” Turning producer was an eye-opener. The Punjabi films currently have good production values and awesome reach abroad, especially in places like Australia and Canada. Pakistan too is a fast-emerging market. “I got to know the business first hand. I’d love to explore it further. I’d definitely want to be part of realistic, issue-based Punjabi films.”