After a successful run with his first film, Tiger Shroff is back to the drill of promotions, reliving his Heropanti days. As we catch up with the actor on a sultry afternoon in Mumbai, we see no signs of fatigue on his face. It has been a long day of interviews for him, but he doesn’t seem even a little tired to talk about his next film Baaghi and his life in general. In fact, he appears more confident than he did while promoting his first film. Referring to those days, Tiger says, “This reminds me of how it all started and it’s exactly how I left it.”
Initially, Tiger had received some flak for his looks when he entered the industry. “I will be honest and yes, it was hard. They noticed me, picked on me, but at least I stirred some emotion. I have made a mark now. Besides, who am I to complain when it happens to the biggest of actors?” he says.
Often an actor’s second film is considered more crucial than his first one. So how have things changed for him since his first film? “As an actor, Heropanti was an educational journey for me. I was completely raw and I got to learn the basics. I have become a lot more aware now as an actor. There is more depth to my character and more composure in my performance.”
This film has been more physically demanding than his first one, but action has always been Tiger’s strong suit. He had to go through gruelling hours of training in martial arts. “Sabbir Khan had a vision — he wanted to make a cult action film. As for me, I was completely new to Kalariyapattu. In the trailer, you’ll see a guru, Master Shifu. He is also my guru in real life. He took me through it all.”
The trailers have brought him heaps of praises — many are even calling him the next generation action star. “I don’t want to call myself that. Even just being considered for such a thing is a big high for me,” he says. While he clearly has a soft spot for action, Tiger’s heart beats for romance too. “I like love stories. Not romantic comedies, but serious love stories,” he says. Growing up, Tiger was majorly into sports. “I wanted to be part of the national football team. At that time, cricket had way more scope than football and I didn’t have much knack for cricket.” His parents always tried to shield him from the glamour world.
“They gave me a very normal upbringing. But every time guests would come over, they would ask when was I getting launched. Without even asking me what I wanted to become, they had already labelled me ‘hero’. I am thankful for the way things turned out. But it wasn’t until very late that I decided to become an actor.”
One word that is synonymous with Tiger is ‘discipline’. Is there anything that he cannot resist? “Sweets. And I cannot resist ice cream. Food is my only drug. But then you have to take care of yourself.” So if he were to not be disciplined for one day, what would he do? “Go and hog at every fast-food joint.”
With the release date drawing close, the pressure is on and Tiger knows it. “I don’t want people to call me a one-hit wonder. I want to prove that there is an evolution that has happened and I want to show that with Baaghi and Flying Jatt.”
Is there still pressure to live up to his dad’s name? “That pressure is over. It used to be ‘Jackie Shroff ka beta’, it’s slowly becoming ‘Tiger Shroff ka dad’ and that’s my main goal. My father is a great person and a great star. If I can manage to do a role reversal, that would mean I have accomplished something in my life. I have big shoes to fill.”
He points out that things were vastly different for the previous generation of actors. “We have come in with a different upbringing, mindset and preparation. Earlier, it wasn’t as demanding as it is now. Numbers didn’t matter as much then. But those actors have also evolved with time. The reason the Khans are what they are is because they are so hardworking; they can match the energy of youngsters. They are great at their craft because of their vast experience. It is a lethal combination of hard work and hunger.”
Ask him to name a favourite action star from current times and he says, “In my generation, I can think of no one. Among the previous lot, I’d say Hrithik Roshan.” And who is his biggest cheerleader? “That has to be my mother,” Tiger signs off.
