Currently celebrating the completion of 40 years of his film 'Hero', Jackie Shroff is in nostalgia while expressing gratitude to director Subhash Ghai for the much-needed platform. Now, the actor is hoping to see his actor-son, Tiger Shroff, carrying on the legacy by starring in a potential remake of the film, if and when it is made.
Jackie worked with Ghai for the first time in 'Hero,' which rose the actor to instant stardom, and marked his blockbuster debut in a lead role. The film also starred Meenakshi Seshadri, and is an intense love story about a girl who falls in love with her kidnapper.
“We sowed the seed 40 years back, and I am reaping the benefits till date. I have a good family, and my kids are also doing well. Subhash ji brought me out of the chawl and made me a big star. Unhone pathar ko hero bana diya (he made a hero out of a rock),” Jackie says, adding, “I have huge respect for him”.
The actor is openly admitting that he, never in his wildest dreams, thought that the film would be a massive success and become one of the classics. “I was amused that Ghai sir took a guy from a chawl and made Hero. I couldn’t believe what was happening around me. I was starring alongside such big names such as Meenakshi, Shammi Kapoor and Shakti Kapoor. I was scared to work with them but I trusted my mentor Subhash ji and just followed his vision. After the release of the film, my life changed suddenly,” he goes on to share.
Back in 1983, the film did wonderfully at the domestic box office, becoming the third-highest grosser of that year. Its songs, notably 'Lambi Judaai,' are still sung today.
A remake of the film was made in 2015, which starred Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty. Jackie Shroff, based on these lines, said that he's not against the concept of remakes. “There is nothing wrong in making a remake. We can’t tell anyone not to make it. I have also starred in a remake. It is a way to give tribute to an iconic film, and try to recreate the magic. It can not be the same as the original, but it is the attempt that matters,” says the actor.
On the topic of remakes, the actor also expresses his wish to see his son, Tiger, in the film’s remake, if it is ever made.
“I would like to see Tiger in the remake. Subhash Ghai made me a musical action star who had a flute in one hand, and a gun in another. My son is good at music and action too. He has a lot of patience, and I just hope he gets to work with good technicians and a director, like me. I feel if a film is made it would turn into a beautiful one,” he says, adding, “Hero mil gaya toh maza aayega (it will be fun if a remake is made). I want to see it because he would be taking my legacy forward with that. I just want my audience to give him the same love they have given me, when I am alive and when I am not there”.
However, director Ghai thinks differently. While he has no plans to remake the iconic film, he hints that he might just make a sequel. “I never like to remake a film. It is a big no from my side. I let other producers remake it. If I have to attempt, I will attempt a sequel of 'Hero,' and explore how the story of that transformed man takes forward. It is a bigger challenge for me,” he said.
He further added, “I would like to make a sequel of the same. With a remake, you are just repeating the story. But with a sequel, you are taking the story ahead, how his life unfolds in the future. I have many things in my mind, I will reveal all the details at a proper time. But it is definitely an interesting prospect for me”.
