Jaikishan Kakubhai Shroff popularly known as Jackie Shroff, is an Indian actor and former model. He has been in the Bollywood industry for over four decades, and as of 2020, has appeared in over 220 films in 13 languages namely Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Konkani, Odia, Gujarati and English. He has won four Filmfare Awards among other accolades. He became an overnight star with Subhash Ghai’s Hero (1983) film, and eventually established himself as one of the leading men of Indian cinema from 1980s to 1990s.
Early and personal life
Shroff was born as Jaikishan Kakubhai Shroff in Bombay (present Mumbai), India. His father, Kakubhai Haribhai Shroff, was Gujarati, while his mother was a Uyghur who fled from Kazakhstan (then the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic under the Russian Soviet Union) during a coup. His maternal grandmother escaped to Ladakh along with her seven daughters when there was a coup in Kazakhstan. They migrated to Delhi, and finally to Mumbai. His father came from a Gujarati family of merchants and traders. However, they lost all of their money in the stock market and his father had to leave home at the age of 17. His father met his mother when both were teenagers and got married.
As a youngster, he modelled in a few advertisements including Savage perfumes. It was one of his classmates in school who gave Shroff his name “Jackie” and then filmmaker Subhash Ghai stuck to this name when he launched him in the film Hero. Shroff regularly revisits his childhood home in Teen Batti.
Shroff married his longtime girlfriend Ayesha Dutt, a model who later became a film producer, on her birthday, 5 June 1987. The couple runs a media company Jackie Shroff Entertainment Limited. They jointly owned 10% shares in Sony TV from its launch until 2012, when they sold their stake and ended their 15-year-long association with Sony TV. They have two children: a daughter, and a son, Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff.
Career
Jackie Shroff dropped out of school after his 11th standard as his family did not have much money. He tried his hand working as an apprentice chef at Taj Hotels and as a flight attendant at Air India, but he was rejected from both places because of his lack of qualifications. He then started working as a travel agent in a local company called “Trade Wings” near Jehangir Art Gallery. An advertising agency accountant spotted him at the bus stand and asked him if he would be interested in modelling. The next day, Shroff went to the advertising agency (National advertising agency) located in the same building as Davar’s college near Flora Fountain for the photo shoot during his lunch time. This photo shoot for a suit shirt launched Shroff on his modelling path. In 1982, Shroff made his acting debut in Dev Anand’s movie Swami Dada. In 1983, Subhash Ghai cast him in the lead role for the movie Hero, paired against Meenakshi Sheshadri. The film was a major critical and commercial success, and one of the highest grossers of 1983. By Hero, both Shroff and Seshadri had become overnight stars. He continued to work in Subhash Ghai movies, irrespective of any role that was offered. After Hero, he did several other films, such as Andar Baahar. Jaanoo and Yudh were successful. In 1986 he did Karma which became the highest-grossing film of 1986. His next film to be released was Kaash. Later films, such as Dahleez and Sachché Ká Bol-Bálá were critically acclaimed, but failed at the box office. But he came back to success through films such as Ram Lakhan, Tridev and Parinda, which won him filmfare award for best actor. In the 90s he was part of successful films such as Saudagar, Angaar, Sapne Sajan Ke, Gardish, Khalnayak, 1942: A Love Story, Rangeela, Agnisakshi, Border & Shapath.
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In 2010 he appeared in film Bhoot and Friends. In 2011 he did a cameo role in film Shraddha In The Name Of God directed by Gurubhai Thakkar.
In 2017, Shroff made his debut in Konkani, acting in the film Soul Curry, which even won him an award. Subsequently, he is to act in another Konkani film scheduled to release in 2019, titled Kantaar.
In October 2018, he acted in a short film, The Playboy Mr. Sawhney. He was also seen in Paltan. He is to feature in many films in 2019, like Firrkie, Bharat, Saaho, and Romeo Akbar Walter. He is also going to star in Prasthanam, which Hindi remake of Telugu film with same name alongside Ali Fazal and Sanjay Dutt.
Television
Shroff has hosted many television shows like Lehrein, Chirtrahar and Missing. Dealing with stories of missing people who were never found, Missing was popular for its creative narration by Shroff. The show was broadcast on Sony TV, of which he owned some shares.Shroff was also a judge on the magic show India’s Magic Star, broadcast on Indian channel STAR One. The show began on 3 July 2010 and ended on 5 September 2010. In 2014, Shroff and his son Tiger Shroff made an appearance on Comedy Nights with Kapil. In 2019 Shroff made his digital debut with the series Criminal Justice.
Jackie Shroff Height Weight Age Body Statistics Biography
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jai Kishan |
| Full Name | Jai Kishan Kakubhai “Jackie” Shroff |
| Nickname(s) | • Jagga • Jaggu Dada |
| Profession | Actor |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters– 183 cm in meters– 1.83 m in feet & inches– 6’ |
| Eye Colour | Dark Brown |
| Hair Colour | Salt & Pepper |
| Career | |
| Debut | Hindi Film: Swami Dada (1982) Bhojpuri Film: Hum Haeen Khalnayak (2004); as Arjun Bengali Film: Antarmahal (2005); as Bhubaneswar Chowdhury Kannada Film: c/o Footpath (2006); as Chief Minister Telugu Film: Astram (2006); as Kadir Wali Malayalam Film: Athisayan (2007); as Sekharan Marathi Film: Rita (2009); as Salvi Punjabi Film: Mummy Punjabi (2011); as Kanwal Sandhu Tamil Film: Aaranya Kaandam (2011); as Singaperumal Oriya Film: Daha Balunga (2013); as Arun Singh Deo Konkani Film: Soul Curry (2017); as Musician Gujarati Film: Ventilator (2018); as Jagdish TV: Criminal Justice (2019) on Hotstar; as Mustafa |
| Awards, Honours, Achievements | 1990: Filmfare Award for Best Actor for “Parinda” 1995: Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for “1942: A Love Story” 1996: Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for “Rangeela” 2007: Special Honour Jury Award for outstanding contribution to Indian cinema 2014: The Original Rockstar at GQ 2016: HT Most Stylish Living Legend Award 2017: National Award-Hindi Cinema Gaurav Samman at Vigyan Bhawan 2018: Filmfare Short Film Award for Best Actor for “Khujli” 2018: Best Actor Award for the Konkani film Soul Curry at Goa State Awards |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 1 February 1957 (Friday) |
| Age (as in 2023) | 66 Years |
| Birthplace | Bombay (now Mumbai), Bombay State (now Maharashtra), India |
| Zodiac sign | Aquarius |
| Signature | |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Mumbai, India |
| Educational Qualification | 11th Standard |
| Food Habit | Vegetarian Note: He became a vegetarian while shooting for Deepak Balraj Vij’s Malik Ek (2010) |
| Address | He lives in a bungalow named ‘Le Pepeyon” in Bandra, Mumbai |
| Hobbies | Cooking, Listening to Music |
| Controversies | • In an interview, Tabu’s sister Farah revealed that Jackie had tried to rape Tabu at Danny Denzongpa’s house after they finished the shoot of the 1986 film Diljala in which Farah and Jackie were working together. • In 2011, a rumour went viral on social media that Jackie Shroff was gay. A journalist mentioned this in an article, and the news spread like a wildfire. Later, Jackie refuted the news as fake and said that he would take legal action against the journalist. |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Affairs/Girlfriends | • Leena Somaiya, author (Tina Munium’s niece); in the early ’80s • Ayesha Dutt |
| Marriage Date | 5 June 1987 (Friday) |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | Ayesha Shroff (film producer) |
| Children | Son– Tiger Shroff (actor) Daughter– Krishna Shroff |
| Parents | Father– Kakabhai Haribhai Shroff (Astrologer) Mother– Rita Shroff (her real name was Hoorunnisa) |
| Siblings | Brother– Hemant Shroff (died in 1967 at the age of 17) Sister– None |
| Favourite Things | |
| Food | Baigan Ka Bhartha |
| Actor | Dev Anand |
| Actress | Asha Parekh |
| Money Factor | |
| Net Worth (approx.) | Rs. 181 Crore (as in 2020) |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Jackie Shroff
- Does Jackie Shroff smoke?: No (quit)
- Does Jackie Shroff drink alcohol?: No (quit)
- Jackie Shroff is a popular Indian actor who has done more than 200 films in almost thirteen languages.
- He belongs to a Gujarati-speaking family of Mumbai. His father, Kakubhai Shroff was a Gujarati and belonged to a wealthy pearl trader’s family while his mother was a Turkish. The real name of his mother was Hoorunnisa, and she converted to Hinduism after marriage and took the name as Rita.
- His mother belonged to Kazakhstan, and when there was a coup in Kazakhstan, his maternal grandmother, along with her six daughters (including Jackie’s mother), came down all the way through Ladakh, Delhi, and finally settled in Mumbai.
Just like Jackie, his parents also had a love marriage. When his parents got married, they both were teenagers.
After his father had lost lots of money in shares, he shifted to a small one-room flat in Teen Batti at Malabar Hill in Mumbai where Jackie was born and grew up.
Jackie lived at Teen Batti till the age of 30. It was his wife, Ayesha who later sold the flat and got him a new flat. At that time, Ayesha was a model and belonged to a wealthy family staying in a 4,200 sq ft house in South Mumbai. Jackie first met Ayesha at a bust stop when he was 15 while Ayesha was 14. While talking about Ayesha, he says,
Ayesha is half-French and half- Bengali. I first saw her when she was 14 or 15 standing at a bus stop. I saw her lovely legs. The bus stopped, I stopped and I said, ‘Hi.’ And I said, ‘My name is Jackie.’ She said, ‘My name is Ayesha.’ I said, ‘What do you do?’ She said, ‘I have come to meet my boyfriend.’ I said, ‘I have come to play on the playstation.’ And it started off from there.”
There is a sad story behind his nickname “Jaggu Dada.” It was, in fact, his elder brother, Hemant Shroff, a mill worker, who had earned the title of “Dada” in the chawl area in Mumbai where his family used to live. His elder brother was very popular in the locality for his helping hand. However, his elder brother had a tragic end when he drowned into the water while saving a person from drowning. At that time, Jackie was 10 years old. While talking about it, Jackie Shroff says,
My brother was the real Jaggu Dada of our chawl. He used to take care of our slum people, look after them when in need. But at a very young age, unfortunately my brother jumped into the sea to save someone. And my brother didn’t know swimming, so he started drowning. I threw a cable line at him; he held onto it, was floating for few seconds but the cable slipped out of his hands. I was young and scared, and I stood there watching him drown. After him, I decided I had to look after my slum people just like he does and then I TURNED INTO JAGGU DADA.”
After his brother’s demise, he became such a frightened child that he would often hide under the bed even on a cracker’s noise. It was his mother who boosted his morale and raised him to become a successful person. He was so attached to his mother that while talking about it, he says,
I loved my mom too much. But I always ask myself that if I loved her so much, why didn’t I burn myself with her. I get vivid dreams about my mother thrice a week. I go to my old house in my dreams and go sit with her and press her feet, sitting down besides her. I touch my mother’s photograph every morning after taking a shower and show her picture to the sun as she used to pray to the sun every morning.”
He was a good athlete in his school; however, his smoking habit, that he had started in his teenage, hampered his athletic skills. In his modelling days, he also endorsed many cigarette brands. After remaining a chain-smoker for years, he finally quit smoking on his children’s insistence. While talking about it, he says,
Tiger used to say, ‘daddy stop it… stop it… stop it. Jab hum bachhon ko bolte hai ki aisa mat karo, we expect them to understand in one go. So, I realised that we, as parents, should also understand why the child is making a request and the intent behind it. When my children told me to stop it, I just quit. It took some time though, but now, I’m completely out of it.”
After 11th standard, he couldn’t further his studies; owing to his family’s financial constraints, so he quit studies and started working in a travel agency called “Trade Wings” in Mumbai. It was during that time that when he was standing at a bust stop, a person from a modelling agency approached him and offered him a modelling assignment. While talking about it, he says,
I was working in a travel agency and was standing on a bus stop when this person from a modelling agency asked me, ‘Why don’t you become a model?’ He said, ‘Photo lega, paisa dega.’ During my lunch break, I met him and gave my measurements and became a model.”
After becoming a model, he left his travel agency job at Trade Wings and started doing modelling. His first salary from modelling was Rs. 7500.
Not only Jackie Shroff, but his mother was also a big fan of Dev Anand, and it was Dev Anand who had launched him in Bollywood. Sharing the memory about how he got to meet Dev Anand for the first time, he says,
One of my friends from my school Kishore Chandramani was a rich kid and through him I came to know all the rich Gujarati and Sindhi kids in the area who all became my friends and my fan as I was this cool dude who was born stylish. I met Suneil Anand (Dev Anand’s son) in my acting class and requested him to make me meet Dev Anand as my mother was his big fan. I met Dev Anand and he said, ‘Subah subah tumhari tasveer dekhi and sham ko tum samne khade ho. Tumhe ek role doonga. Parallel role hai, main hero hoon, tum second hero.’ I thought to myself, wow hero and I debuted in Swami Dada.”
After Swami Dada, Subhash Ghai launched him in a titular role in the film Hero (1983) opposite Meenakshi Sheshadri. The film became such a hit that it’s still considered one of the most celebrated romantic films in India. The film also established Jackie Shroff in Bollywood’s big league. Jackie Shroff in Hero
Jackie was often paired with Anil Kapoor; as both had started their careers together, and the duo went on to give a number of hits, like Andar Bahar (1984), Yudh (1985), Karma (1986), Ram Lakhan (1989), and Parinda (1989).
The popular Bollywood film Gardish (1993) in which he portrayed a common man taking on the criminal elements in society is considered his best work till date. [20] Jackie Shroff in Gardish
Jackie is considered one of the most stylish actors in Bollywood, and his close association with designer Anna Singh has helped him maintain his style and persona.
In Bollywood, he is good friends with Danny Denzongpa, Dimple Kapadia, and Amrita Singh.
Jackie is very close to nature and loves to do organic farming, and he often spends time at his organic farm where he grows various organic herbs. He even attended the opening of the environment Jaldhaara Foundation.
He is also known for his philanthropic efforts for the less fortunate.
His real surname was Saraf which his father changed to Shroff.
Apart from being an actor, he is a skilled cook, and before acting, he tried his hand as a chef in Hotel Taj, but he got rejected; owing to his lack of required qualification.
He had also tried to become a flight attendant in Air India, but there again he was rejected for falling short of the minimum qualifications.
During the shoot of a Polio ad in 1998, he was seen using foul language on camera.
Awards and accolades
- 1990: Won: Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Parinda
- 1994: Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Gardish
- 1994: Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Khalnayak
- 1995: Won: Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award – 1942: A Love Story
- 1996: Won: Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award – Rangeela
- 1997: Nominated: Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award – Agni Sakshi
- 2002: Nominated: Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award – Yaadein
- 2001: Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role – Mission Kashmir
- 2003: Nominated: Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award – Devdas
- 2007: Special Honour Jury Award for outstanding contribution to Indian cinema
- 2014: Won: The Original Rockstar GQ
- 2016: Won: HT Most Stylish Living Legend Award.
- 2017: Won: Raj Kapoor Award – Received by yesteryear actress Rakhee Gulzar: 30 April 2017.
- 2017: Won: Received the 20th anniversary of JP Dutta’s Border movie Award: 12 June 2017.
- 2017: Won: Recipient of National Award-Hindi Cinema Gaurav Samman at Vigyan Bhawan
- 2018: Won: Filmfare Short Film Award for Best Actor – Khujli
- 2018: Won: Best Actor Award for the Konkani film Soul Curry at Goa State Awards ceremony
- He has received a Doctor of Arts for his valuable contribution in the field of Cinema from the Invertis University.