Jackie Shroff on becoming a superhero in The Great Grand Superhero: Tiger told me it would be tough to play one

Forty-three years is a long time to stay in the game. Long enough to not just watch empires rise and fall, but also for a young man from a Mumbai chawl to become one of Hindi cinema’s most handsome and enduring actors. Today, Jackie Shroff, who began his journey as a leading man with Hero (1983), is strapping on the costume of a superhero with Manish Saini’s The Great Grand Superhero – Aliens Ka Aagman.Over the years, he has become synonymous with the ‘cool guy’ persona and remains no different today. Ask him about box office anxiety; he laughs it off. Ask him about the National Awards; he shrugs warmly. From the brooding, smouldering Hero of 1983 to becoming India’s first superhero grandpa in 2026, he carries the ease and satisfaction of a man who has made peace with every chapter of his story.‘Mere haath-pair tootele hain, muscles phatele hain while doing the action’Before taking on the role, Jackie says he spoke to his son, Tiger Shroff, who played a superhero in A Flying Jatt (2016). He shares, “He told me, ‘It’s very tough, dad. The costume keeps you so hot, your skin can’t breathe. It’s an ordeal. Jitna easy dikhta hai, utna easy hota nahi hai’.”Playing a superhero at 69 is not simply a matter of saying yes; it comes with physical challenges. “Mere haath-pair tootele hain, muscles phatele hain while doing the action. People don’t see what goes into it. Recovery mein bhi time lagta hai, bhidu. Shooting action koi khaane ka game nahi hai. Dum nikal jaata hai,” explains the actor.‘My mind is still stuck at 19’While he credits Tiger’s discipline for his own physical resurgence, Jackie insists that in his mind, he is still young. He says, “My mind is still stuck at 19. My genetics don’t let me grow old. The power and energy are still there. In fact, I feel stronger now than I did in my teens.”Tiger, Jackie proudly says, has also shaped his outlook towards fitness. “Tiger has always been my inspiration. I had never worked out, but looking at him makes me want to push my limits. I’m grateful to my son for making me see the real light. Woh hamesha bolta hai ki jitna strong main rahunga, utna strong hamaara parivaar rahega.”‘Relationships matter more than strategy’What has remained unchanged through the decades, however, is Jackie’s approach to relationships within the film industry. In an environment often driven by networking and strategy, he says he still values personal bonds over professional calculations. “Relationships matter more than strategy. If a cameraman offers me a role that requires four days of shooting, I’ll do it without thinking, if it helps him,” he says.Speaking about his equation with actors like Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, Jackie adds, “I’ve known Salman, who is five years younger, since my modelling days, when I was the cool dude in the area. When he says, ‘Meri picture kar’, how can I say no? How can I say no to Shah Rukh? If he says, ‘I want you to do a film and just look good,’ I say, that’s easy,” he laughs and adds, “You have to reciprocate and stay open to people, friends and colleagues.”Jackie traces that outlook to his upbringing in Mumbai’s chawls. “I am a chaali boy. Living in chawls means community. Ek doosre ke ghar mein jhaakte hain, khaana milta hai. Kahin se baraf aati hai, kahin se biryani. You help each other. There were 21 chawls where I lived. Six of us, including my parents, stayed in a 10x10 house. That life makes you see everyone as equal,” he says.