Jackie Shroff, fondly known as ‘Jaggu Dada’, has been a beloved presence in Bollywood for over four decades, winning hearts with his charm and versatility. He made his breakthrough with Subhash Ghai’s Hero in 1983 and has since acted in more than 250 films across 13 languages. Now 68, the veteran star recently revealed a lesser-known chapter from his early days, when he debuted in Dev Anand’s 1982 film, Swami Dada, a story that marked his true entry into the world of cinema.
Jackie Shroff shares how he got demoted from second lead to third villain in Dev Anand’s Swami Dada within 15 days
Jackie Shroff recently appeared on actress Kunickaa Sadanand’s podcast, where he shared a lesser-known anecdote from his acting career, when he lost out on a lead role after being selected for it. Jackie revealed that he was initially offered the second lead role in Swami Dada opposite Dev Anand himself, and he was excited to break the news to his mother. He shared:
“It so happened that he offered me the second lead. I couldn’t believe my eyes, my ears that Dev sahab was sitting in front of me. His son, Sunil, was also there. He told me, ‘He’s (his father) is offering a film. I said, ‘Wow!’ I went home and told my mother I was getting the second lead. The whole society went like, ‘Woohoo, Jaggu hero!’”