Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
For director Manish Saini, working with Jackie Shroff on The Great Grand Superhero was a rewarding experience that continually surprised him. In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Saini opened up about the actor’s instinctive performance, his commitment to making films he genuinely enjoys, and why success means more than box-office numbers.
Speaking about working with Jackie Shroff, Saini revealed that many people on the film’s crew initially wondered how the actor would pull off such a layered character because audiences have largely seen him as the larger-than-life “Jaggu Dada” persona on screen.
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“He, Jackie, won’t talk about himself, so I think it is my responsibility to say this. Many people in the crew had only seen Jackie sir as this strong man on screen, and they couldn’t imagine how he would pull off this character. But I was confident from day one,” he said.
The director admitted that even while editing the film, Shroff’s performance continued to surprise him.
“Even today, whenever I sit in the edit room, I get surprised by how he has done it. There are small conversations and long shots where you can see such consistency in his performance. Sometimes, something happens in the scene, he looks down, and I realise I never even briefed him about it. That’s his instinct as an actor,” Saini said.
Calling himself “lucky” to have worked with the veteran actor, Saini said the film allowed him to present a side of Jackie Shroff that audiences haven’t explored before.
“I feel lucky that he trusted me, came on board for this genre, accepted the film, and did something nobody had explored before. I got to explore a side of him that audiences haven’t seen. He is a brilliant actor,” the director said.
Saini also explained why Shroff made the process easier for him as a director. “A good actor listens, understands, observes you, and then adds something extra to the scene. Sometimes actors come with limitations about how they want to perform, and that makes it difficult for a director to manage the flow of a scene. But Jackie sir was never like that. Even in the poster, his expression is completely different. It’s not Jaggu Dada – it’s a completely different character. When I saw all these things coming together so naturally, I truly felt blessed,” Saini added.
The filmmaker also spoke about his approach to cinema and why he consciously chooses to make children’s films despite being repeatedly questioned about it. “I have never felt pressure. I make what I like. A lot of my friends ask me why I make children’s films. It’s because I enjoy it. I don’t have this fascination of making a ‘great’ film,” he said.
Saini believes filmmakers should continue making movies only as long as they genuinely enjoy the process. “I’ve always believed that you should keep making films as long as you are enjoying the process. The moment you start forcing yourself into a certain format and stop enjoying it, nobody will enjoy watching your film either,” the director said.
Reflecting on his journey, the director said receiving his first National Award felt like his “superhero moment.” “So, I never feel pressure. Maybe because I came from nothing. The day I got my first National Award – the superhero moment you mentioned – I felt like I had already achieved something big. Now, I just want to make films for fun, for my own kicks,” he said.
For the filmmaker, the only real pressure lies in understanding whether emotions are landing with the audience inside a theatre. “When I watch my film with an audience, I’m always nervous about whether people will laugh after a certain moment, or whether there will be silence in the theatre where I want it. That’s the only pressure I feel – whether the emotion is working or not.”
Calling success “subjective,” Saini pointed out how some films stay relevant for decades while others disappear despite earning massive box office numbers. “Some films may not work commercially, but they are remembered for 20, 30, even 100 years. Some films make crores, but disappear after four or five weeks. So, it’s different for everyone. I don’t read much into it. I don’t even feel the need to,” he concluded.
The Great Grand Superhero was released on 29th May, starring Jackie Shroff.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
