I have met and talked and have been friends with three generations of actors , stars ,super stars and mahanaayaks, but the one star who I I have admired is Jackie Shroff , who came to the industry forty years ago as a handsome young man but with no experience or even knowledge about acting and he never hid the truth about himself – Ali Peter John

“Apun kaayka actor – vactor , apun toh bus set pe aata hai, jo kaam humko bola jaata hai karta hai poori koshish ke saath, aur phir ghar jaata hai” he told everyone , even journalists who interviewed him ( and he is perhaps the only star who has never liked giving interviews ) , but he has stayed on for forty long years as a successful actor and who is still wanted , like it has been proved in the recent Salman Khan starrer, “Radhe ,. Your Most Wanted Bhai”.

Jackie who was not willing to be an actor has now done more than two hundred and thirty films in various languages of the country and has even won the Filmfare Award for the best actor for his performances in films like ” Parinda” and “Gardish” ,has won the best supporting actor award for some other films and has been nominated for some other films and has even dabbled in producing films, television and has even worked in a short film called “Khujli”, And is still going strong at sixty four ( or is it sixty five ?)

I have known Jackei since the time he first faced the camera for a scene in Dev Anand”s “Swami Dada” and it has been a pleasure to see how he has fought a one man battle against all odds , all competition and any kind of controversy or rivalry .

The gossip press called him ” our biggest frustration ” . The reason for their being frustrated was that he did not give them juicy and spicy stories ” and he let their frustration grow and their frustration continues even after all these years

Jackie has been known as a lady’s man , but he is also known as a man who has all the respect for women , whether they are in the industry or out of it .

He is known as a man of few words , but whatever he says comes from his experiences with life and the people he interacts with.

He once in the beginning of his career read the books of Jaimes Hadley Chase and he believes he was reading some masterpieces and then he stopped reading even these books and James Hadley Chase must have lost a devoted fan of his books .

Jackie hardly attends public functions and even if he does , he stands in a corner and doesn’t make any speaches .

He has lost a lot because of his love for his privacy, but he has not changed his policy of not being seen where his presence is not going to make an impact and is not going to affect his image in any way .

He has however attended all my functions , whether it is a book release , an awards function or even my strange marieage.

I don’t know what reaction exactly the release of Salman Khan’s Radhe….. has been receiving, but I know that Jackei has garnered a great deal of appreciation for his role , however significant it is .

He has been making his presence felt in some big films and he does get recognised and applauded for whatever he does in such films.

I had the opportunity of having a brief chat with Jackei a day after the cyclone and in the midst of Covid playing havoc with the world and especially with India . Here are five questions he answered in his own way and his own language.

Q: How are you dear Bhidu ?

A: How you expect me to be ? But first tell me, tu kaisa hai , Baawa ? we are all going through very depressing times , lekin depress hone se koi Corona ko maar sakta hai kya?

Humko himmat karke ladna hoga Bhidu aur asha ko zinda rakhna padega. Anth mein Corona haarega AUR insaan jeetega. Ye mera bharosa hai

Q: Aapne Corona kaal mein kya kya kiya ?

A : Main woh sab karta raha jo har koi aaj kar raha hai . Rokar toh nahi baith sakta na apun. Jo jo apun se ho sakta tha woh kiya .

Aur usko bataana main sahi nahi samajtha . Ye meri baat Bhidu, tum acche se jaante ho kyonki tum mere ek sabse puraane dost ho .

Q : Dost se yaad aaya . Tumhare kitne acche dost hai industry mein ?

A : Industry ki dosti kaisi kaisi hoti hai , ye tum bhi jaante ho aur ab main bhi jaanta hoon thokar khaane ke baad .

Phir bhi mere kuch acche dost hai puraane aur naye . Nayon mein Shah Rukh aur Salman mre dost bhi hai aur well-wisher bhi hai .

Main unke liye hanesha dua maagta hoon . Abhi , Salman ki film , Radhe mein maine kaam kiya hai aur bahut accha lagaa.

Film ki taareef bhi hai aur alochna bhi hai . Lekin Salman ne dil lagaakar film banaayi hai aur dil se jo bhi kaam hota hai, uska khudah bhi saath deta hai . Main umeed karta hoon ki Salman ki film OTT par aur theateron mein khoob chale.

Q : Tiger ke baare mein aap kya kehna chaaynge ?

A : Tiger mera beta bhi hai aur sabse accha dost bhi hai . Main uske kaam mein bilkul daqal nahi deta , lekin agar woh mere se koi sallah maangega toh main thodi na nahi doonga .

Woh mera beta hai aur jabse woh do saal ka tha tabse main usko dost samajta hoon , aur ye rishta aise hi rahe ,ye meri khwaaish bhi hai aur dua bhi hai

Q : Suna Hai , Tiger ki Shaadi Disha Pattani SE hone waali hai.

A : Bhidu ye unko faisla karna padega aur agar ye faisla woh karte hai , main kyoon kuch kahunga. Ye unki zindag hai

Q : kya tumko puraani baaten yaad hai ?

A ; Puraani baaton mein hi toh jaan hai . Main ab BHI mere uss Teen Bathi waale chaal ke kholi par jaata hoon jahaan se maine zindagi shuru ki thi aur jaha par main khwaab dekhta tha din mein bhi raat mein bhi, Bahut accha lagaa aapse baat karke.. Khush raho aur please iss Corona se koi bhi panga nahi lena .

JAGGU DADA TAB BHI AISE HI THE , AAJ BHI AISE HI HAI . JAGGU DADA BADAL THE NAHI AUR BADLEGE BHI NAHI. YE MERA YAKEEN HAI . KOI USSE BADALKAR DIKHAYE , MAIN USKA DOST KUCH BHI HAARNE KE LIYE TAYAAR HOON .