“Please don’t compare me with my dad Jackie Shroff, as he has his own charismatic aura built up over the past three decades. As a macho action hero, smart dancer, romantic loverboy, I wish to be judged independently,” pleads sports-lover Tiger Shroff whose much-hyped debut movie ‘Heropanti’, directed by Sabbir Khan and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, releases next week.
But one just can’t help mentally connecting with the senior Shroff when the remixed version of the legendary flute-theme music of his father’s retro-hit ‘Hero’ (1983), is played as an overture for the ‘Whistle Bajaa’ song from ‘Heropanti’.
Admits Tiger, “That’s quite true. Initially I was quite jittery during the shoot of this song, as it was overwhelming nostalgia for me. I guess, it’s more of a shagun (blessing) for me and my stunning heroine Kriti Sanon,” smiles the soft-spoken Tiger (actual name Jai Hemant).
Apparently, growing up, as a kid, he used to scratch and growl at people prompting his parents, Jackie and Ayesha, to christen their cub ‘Tiger’. A fitness freak with a fetish for martial arts Tiger’s iconic idol since childhood is the kung-fu king actor Bruce Lee. Recalls the budding actor, “When I carefully observed his stance and his piercing look in the close-ups, I realised that Bruce was an actor first and could project the intense emotions through his eyes and body language before he unleashed his deadly kicks and punches. It was this Lee-starrer movie ‘Enter the Dragon’ which was the turning point of my life. Initially, my focus was mainly on martial arts and gymnastics. It was only in the recent past, that the ‘acting bug’ bit me and my screen-debut plans fell into place,” shrugs junior Shroff who has performed lengthy ‘Parkour’ breath-taking agile action-stunts in ‘Heropanti’.
Off-screen, the sinewy Tiger is not aggressive when it comes to wooing girls, but is more of the shy, inhibited types. “Even during my lovey-dovey scenes in ‘Heropanti’, my co-star Kriti was very supportive in bringing out my concealed aashiqui, and our screen-chemistry is evident,” chuckles the budding actor whose fantasy dream-role is ‘Spiderman’.