Veteran Bollywood actor, Jackie Shroff’s real-life story is similar to a Bollywood masala film. The journey of his transformation into a Bollywood star is full of ups and downs. Be it the childhood of Jaikishan Kaubhai Shroff, the real name of Jackie, or his life after becoming a superstar, everything appears to be a movie’s script.
Jackie Shroff grew up in a chawl in Mumbai and was always willing to help the people in his neighbourhood. This is why he was known as Jaggu Dada but the journey of Jackie Shroff has not been an easy one.
The actor had to stop his studies in between due to financial hardships. Jackie had earlier said in an interview that he had an elder brother who was a sensitive individual. In fact, he was the real dada of the chawl. According to Jackie, his brother was considered as the messiah by the chawl’s residents.
Unfortunately, he met with a fatal accident and the actor was a witness to it. The incident took place when Jackie Shroff was around ten years old. The two brothers were taking a walk on the beach when his brother noticed a man drowning and yelling for help. Jackie’s brother jumped into the water despite not knowing how to swim. In such a situation, he began to drown as well. Jackie threw a cable wire towards him but was unable to save his brother, who drowned in the sea.
The incident shattered the actor and he then decided to carry on his brother’s good work in the chawl. This is how Jaikishan became Jaggu dada for the residents of the chawl.
Dev Anand was the first director to cast Jackie Shroff in Swami Dada. Following that, he was offered a role in Subhash Ghai’s film, Hero. The film turned out to be a grand success and made him a Bollywood superstar. Even today, Jackie remembers his childhood and the hardships he faced. This is why he is always willing to help others.
