Jackie Shroff

“The industry has experimented with me a lot because filmmakers know that I don’t say no to roles. I never thought of differentiating between lead roles and smaller roles,” surmised Jackie Shroff, leading actor of the 1980s and 1990s. The actor, who continues to leave his mark in leading and supporting roles in a career spanning over four decades with his charm and towering screen presence, explained, “For example, in Devdas, the titular role is played by Shah Rukh Khan. But I had a fantastic role in it as Chunnilal. In Mission Kashmir, Sanjay Dutt and Hrithik Roshan were both heroes and I was the bad guy with only seven scenes. So I’ve been experimenting all the time. It never bothered me that if I don’t sing a song I’m not a hero anymore. I feel like if I’m a part of a film that’s more important. Like the chair you’re sitting on, if you cut one leg the whole thing falls. So you have to be that one leg. That’s the important part. The value that you add is important.”

Having worked in a range of roles across industries in approximately 250 films, model-turned-actor Shroff has consistently and successfully experimented with his choice of roles. Playing an anti-hero in his launch vehicle Hero (1983), a gangster with a conscience in Parinda (1989), a film star in Kaash (1987) and in Rangeela (1995), an IAF officer in Border (1997) and the antagonist in Mission Kashmir (2000), his versatility and dependability as an actor are unarguable. His performances in hits like Ram Lakhan (1989), Gardish (1993), 1942: A Love Story (1994), and Devdas (2002), among others, have won enormous appreciation from audiences.  His impact on Indian cinema as well as pop culture is also evident in the many videos and memes featuring him. He has received several accolades including the Filmfare for best actor for Parinda (1989), best supporting actor for 1942 A Love Story (1994), and Rangeela (1995), and the National award-Hindi cinema Gaurav Samman at Vigyan Bhawan, among others. 

He was born Jaikishan Kakubhai Shroff (or Saraf) on 1 February 1957 in Bombay (present Mumbai), to mother Rita, a Turkmen who fled Kazakhstan during a coup, and father Kakubhai Haribhai Shroff, a Gujarati. His father, who came from a family of merchants and traders, had to leave home at the age of 17 after sustaining heavy losses in the stock market. 

Raised in the Teen Batti area of Mumbai, he would get embroiled in street fights in his childhood on his friends’ behalf. Dropping out of junior college after completing his 11th standard, he made unsuccessful attempts to join the navy as well as Air India, as a purser. Earning a diploma in travel and tourism, he began work at a travel agency. At this point, he was approached by a member of an ad agency with a modelling offer. Quitting his job at the travel agency to pursue modeling, he also joined Aasha K Chandra’s acting school. He met actor-filmmaker Dev Anand through the latter’s son Sunil Anand, his batch-mate at acting school, and snagged a minor role as a gang member in Swami Dada (1982). Soon, he met Subhash Ghai who was scouting for a new face to essay the male lead in his upcoming film, and was signed on for his directorial Hero (1983). 

An action drama romance, Hero revolved around a goon who, after his boss is imprisoned, kidnaps the daughter of the police commissioner but soon falls in love with her and vows to reform his ways. It became a blockbuster at the box office and overnight established Shroff as a leading Hindi film actor. He was introduced with the name Jackie Shroff – the same nickname he had been given by one of his classmates in school. Younger audiences enjoyed the performances by Shroff as well as the female lead Meenakshi Sheshadri, while critics applauded Ghai for using fresh faces at a time when Amitabh Bachchan was the dominant star in the Hindi film firmament. Through the decades, he has continued to work in several Ghai films, irrespective of the role that was offered.

After Hero, Shroff featured in several other films, such as Raj N Sippy’s Andar Baahar (1984) in which he played police inspector Ravi Khanna, and Ghai’s Karma (1986) which became the highest-grossing film of the year. He further established himself with hits such as Ram Lakhan (1989), Tridev (1989) and Parinda (1989). His performance in the critically acclaimed and commercially successful Parinda earned him the Filmfare award for best actor. The film followed Kishan (Shroff), who works for the underworld chieftain Anna (Patekar). Kishan's brother Karan (Kapoor) returns home after completing his studies in the United States. The two brothers are caught on different sides of a gang war after Karan decides to avenge his friend's death by Anna.

The 1990s saw Shroff feature in a range of successful films from Saudagar (1991), Angaar (1992), Gardish (1993), and Khalnayak (1993), to 1942: A Love Story (1994), Rangeela (1995) Agni Sakshi (1996), Border (1997) and Shapath (1997). His performance as Shubhankar in the patriotic romantic drama directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra drew much appreciation, as well as a Filmfare award for best supporting actor. Rangeela won him another similar award for his performance for the Ram Gopal Varma-directed romantic comedy in which he essayed Raj Kamal, a movie star who falls for a young, effervescent, wannabe actress. 

Appearing in supporting roles during the 2000s, his performance in Mission Kashmir (2000), earned him a nomination for the Filmfare award for best villain. The film, which dealt with terrorism and the tragedy of children suffering from war, cast Shroff as Hilal Kohistani, leader of a terrorist group. 

His performances in the Ghai-directed musical drama Yaadein (2001) as well as Devdas (2002) in which he essayed the lead character’s friend Chunnilal earned him award nominations. Other key films he has featured in include the children’s film Bhoot Unkle (2006) in which he played the title character, Eklavya The Royal Guard (2007), Raaz: The Mystery Continues (2009), Dhoom 3 (2013), Kochadaiiyaan (2014), and the Konkani film Soul Curry (2017) which won him the Goa state award for best actor. His more recent work includes the comedy drama Mast Mein Rehna Ka (2023), Phone Booth (2022), and the web series Call My Agent Bollywood (2022). 

On television, he has hosted many shows including Lehrein, Chitrahar and Missing; the latter was marked by his creative narration of stories dealing with missing people who were never found. He was also a judge on the magic show India's Magic Star, broadcast on Indian channel STAR One. 

Known for his fashion sense, he has been hailed as a trendsetter and fashion icon inspiring numerous trends including Paisley print silk scarves, bootcut jeans, holsters belts, Nehru caps, turtlenecks, rugged jackets, and retro sunglasses. 

Known for his social activism and support of causes including HIV/ AIDS and female foeticide, Shroff constantly spreads awareness regarding the environment and carries a spider plant along to most public events to spread the message of its capacity to reduce harmful pollutants in the air and improve oxygen levels.

Synonymous with his use of the term ‘bhidu’ (friend)—which embodies Shroff's identity both in films and real life, in May 2024, Shroff moved the Delhi High Court against the unlicensed used of his name and personality attributes by entities for commercial gain. He also sought protection against the unauthorised use of the term ‘bhidu’. His advocate said that Shroff was not looking to stop parody or satire, but wanted an injunction against merchandising and defamatory and distorted uses of his personality.

On the personal front, in 1987 Shroff married his longtime girlfriend Ayesha Dutt, a model who later became a film producer. The couple set up a media company Jackie Shroff Entertainment Limited. They also jointly owned 10% shares in Sony TV; more than a decade later they sold their stake and ended their 15-year-long association with the media company. His son Tiger Shroff is an actor, while daughter Krishna Shroff is an entrepreneur.