Straight Answers

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Jackie Shroff</span> Actor on his brush with Bollywood:<br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Cut to the past. Weren’t you and your wife, Ayesha, supposed to star together in Teri Bahon Mein?</span><br />This question brings me to an interesting story which makes one believe in destiny.Ayesha and I were going steady around then, and we were so impressed with Blue Lagoon that we convinced Pramod Podar, a friend of mine, to produce its Hindi version with Ayesha and myself in the lead. Umesh Mehra was roped in to direct the film. But I was rejected by Umesh as he found me too skinny for a role which required a bare-body show. Moreover, I didn’t know how to swim! Mohnish Behl, a dear friend, was finalised for the role and Teri Bahon Mein was made and released.<br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">And how did Ayesha ‘push’ you into films?</span><br />OP Ralhan had advertised for a fresh face for his film Ashoka The Great. We went to a photo studio, I posed, Ayesha paid Rs 20, and she took me to meet Ralhan. But nothing came of this meeting. On second thoughts, this investment marked the beginning of my efforts. Devsaab (Dev Anand) spotted me on the poster of a cigarette ad and offered me a role — all that I had to do was stand behind Shakti Kapoor in two shots! But this, too, was a blessing in disguise for had Subhash Ghai not spotted me, he wouldn’t have offered me Hero!<br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">During the making of Grahan, Ayesha reportedly sought finances from Sattie Shourey without your knowledge. True or false?</span><br />Yes, she did borrow funds from Sattie Shourey without my knowledge but when I asked her about this, her justified reaction was: If I am not around when she needs funds urgently, shouldn’t she go ahead and carry on the work? In any case, Ayesha is more efficient than me when it comes to I took me three years to get Grahan completed while she completed Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rehta Hai in nine months flat!<br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">What does Jackie Shroff the producer have up his sleeve?</span><br />Sandhya is ready for release and Boom is on the editing table. Then, we are planning our next film with Shashilal Nair. </div> </div>