With the intense, brooding characters that Jimmy Shergill plays on screen, the actor has earned an image of being a serious actor that he is now keen to break away from. At the very onset of his career, he had proved his versatility as an actor with Maachis followed by Mohabbatein, but Jimmy reveals that over the years, he has learnt that the industry dynamics leaves little scope for an actor to experiment unless he strikes out on his own. And, this is exactly what he has been trying to do.
Talking about the turning point in his career and how the audiences’ perception changes, he says, “With the success of Munna Bhai MBBS and Yahaan, the audience tagged me as an intense actor although with Dil Vil Pyar Vyar, I received compliments that I had taken light-hearted and comic roles to a different level altogether. But once there is a set perception about you, there is little scope for experimentation in terms of the roles that are offered to you,” he says and adds, “Saheb Biwi aur Gangster proved to be the turning point in my career as the role was challenging. These are the kind of films that I want to do where the plot is interesting but the comic roles that are being offered to me are not what I can relate to.”
The actor who ventured into regional cinema, will be seen in a Punjabi film almost every year. “It’s taken us almost eight years to make our mark in Punjabi cinema and we are challenging the popularity of Bollywood movies in Punjab. It is because we have original scripts and relatable characters that strike a chord with the audience,” he says and shares that this is his way of going back to his roots and also a chance to do the kind of roles that he has always wanted to play.
Speaking about why he has been seen more often in films with an ensemble cast rather than a stand-alone hero film, Jimmy confides, “For me how long the characters will live on in the audience’s mind matters more than the how long they will stay onscreen.” He is excited about his forthcoming films — Four Two Ka One, Saheb Biwi aur Gangster sequel, Special Chabbis and the Punjabi film Rangeelay.
