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When I first saw him in the ads of Mohabbatein, I was really impressed. Seeing him on the big screen, just confirmed the fact that he was drop dead gorgeous as well as really talented. This Punjabi guy is quite stunning and really stands out in the promos. Good Luck to him for all the great times to come!
-Name? Jasjiet 'Jimmy' Shergill
-Date of Birth? 3rd December 1970(I can’t believe he is 30, he looks about 23!)
-Zodiac Sign? Sagittarius
-Fave food? Home-cooked
-Most Embarrasing Moment? Too many
-Fave film? Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenge
-Motto in Life? Work hard and have fun!
-How did he get into acting? It just happened. My brother always told me to get into this, go to Mumbai, join acting classes, and see if anything happened—or come back. So I joined Roshan Taneja sa'ab's classes. When I got there people said—yaar, saat-aath saal se pehle kisi ko break nahin milti. Seeing the very good senior people in my batch, I was like, I can't do this, I'm going back. But Taneja sa'ab said—'Are you mad? Don't think of getting there just straightaway, go step by step.
-Your big break? I was finishing my course. I had made up my mind to stay on, but I had this mental block that it would take 7-8 years to get a break. Even if I were lucky, at least five! So I was meeting people to find work as an assistant director, so I could stay on, learn about film-making. If you've never been on a set—it's this big, huge thing, you don't know what's happening where, where's the camera, where to look into the camera. Someone told me to meet Gulzar sa'ab. The moment I met him, I thought, 'What an amazing human being'. When he realized I was an actor and my nickname was Jimmy, he said there was a character called Jimmy in Maachis and asked me to read the script. That's how it began.
-What is a perfect take? I can never know. It's not only you due of whom a take can be okayed. It could be the camera, lights, other actors. You may feel it's fine, but the director may want it differently. Before the lighting and all, you do 4-5 rehearsals for the camera. Before that, the director tells you the style, the pauses he wants. In Maachis, my pauses, given by Gulzar sa'ab, were different. In Jahan Tum Le Chalo, my style of talking is nothing like how I talk in real life.
-What was Mumbai like? You get used to Mumbai. It's tough, but good. You have to be where your bread and butter is, where you look forward to something. I live alone. I have a boy who cooks for me. I haven't seen the glam life till now because I have my own set of non-industry friends. When I'm not working I watch TV, sleep. I love sleeping.
- What about a good physique? Isn't it vital in the industry nowadays? A big physique is not my aim. You end up losing flexibility in dancing. In films, I've come to realize dancing is a must. I don't feel I have to jump from 20 storeys to show I am good. I can express how angry I am on my face. Everybody is doing it—what difference would I make? If I am an actor, I want to make sure I am an actor. You want to see my expression and see how angry I am—or forget it.
Girlfriend? Yes, I've a girlfriend, in Delhi. Yes, it's a very serious relationship. If I had two hits behind me, I would've been married by now. But I'm very practical. When I marry, I want to give my wife everything. No, I don't believe that if you marry, you lose your fans. Better to be honest and say, 'Yes, I'm married.' Big deal.
