'I try not to tie myself to a particular image'

Jimmy Shergill has been in the industry for a long time but it's only in the past few years that he has got his dues, leaving a mark on the industry with films like Munna Bhai MBBS, Munnabhai Lage Raho and Eklavya except for Delhi Heights, which could be termed an aberration.

His latest thriller Raqeeb is hitting the marquee this week.

In a free wheeling conversation, he talks to Narendra Singh about Raqeeb, the debacle of Delhi Heights and his forthcoming films.  

You must be very happy these days. You have some good films lined up for release.

Yes. We have just finished Wednesday. I'm looking forward to its release because at some stage in your career, you come across some films which inspire you so much at the scripting level that you get all charged up to do that film. The way the actors and technicians have contributed is just immense and here I am not talking about their calibre but as human beings. I always looked forward to the next day's shooting. I've know Neeraj (director of Wednesday) for a long time and have gone through many of his scripts and they all are equally good. I am proud that I am a part of this film.

So what's your role in Wednesday?

I play a police office, who is a part of the Anti Terrorist Squad. He is called for some particular operation on a Wednesday. In a span of three to four hours, an incident happens, which has got nothing to do with the Mumbai bomb blasts or the local train bomb blasts or something like that.

My colleagues and I am called to take control of the situation. It's more an edge of the seat drama and thriller. After every scene, you would want to know what's going to happen next.

Speaking of thrillers, tell us about Raqeeb.

I always wanted to do a role, which had this element of mass appeal and carries shades of drama to it. Till now, in my career, I have not done any such character. One day, I got a call from Raj Kanwar and we met. Anurag Singh, the director of Raqeeb, narrated the script to me and I expressed my desire to do the role. Anurag thought that I might have reservations about the character but I cleared his doubts. I have never played such a character in my career.

I play a struggling actor in the film, who wants to make it big. He also does theatre for his survival. He is living with the hope that someday he will get a good film and become a star. He is a passionate lover but short-tempered.

Judging by the song with Tanushree Dutta, it seems you are all set to shock people.

The song you are seeing is only at that level. You won't get to see anything beyond this. It's just the same stuff, which you will find when you see the film. Again, before this in Eklavya, my character had negative shades. Before Eklavya, in Onir's Bas Ek Pal, almost all the characters had grey shades in the film.

Yes, definitely there has been a change in the kind of roles I have been doing lately. After Eklavya, I got phone calls from people saying that they would love to see me in negative shades and I feel good about it. All thanks to Vidhu Vinod Chopra that he gave me an opportunity even if it was for seven or eight scenes.

Are you trying to change your image?

I have been doing this forever. You can see the change from my initial films. I try not to tie myself to a particular image. I'm always looking to improvise and do things in a different manner. As far as acting is concerned you keep learning new things everyday. Each film and each day is a learning experience.

One good thing about your films is that you are always pitted against strong performers --  Big B in Eklavya and Sanjay Dutt in Munna Bhai series. In your next film too you are working with talent powerhouse like Naseeruddin Shah and Kay Kay Menon. Tell us a bit about the film.

BBD is a thriller and my role is that of an actor who based in Mumbai. He goes to Kolkata to shoot a film and there a few things transpire and because of those incidents, the rest of the characters get affected.  

Any regret doing Delhi Heights?

When I had signed the film, we were all very excited. Sivaji Ganesan is a big banner in the film industry, which came after almost 35 to 40 years. The director of the film had approached us and everybody liked his narration. The songs of Rabbi Shergill were flawless and the album has done pretty well. When you sign the film on the scripting level, you don't realise much at that time. The idea of the film was fresh but I guess somewhere, it was not well executed.

You have become an integral part of the Munna Bhai series. Any dope on the film?

I think Raju Hirani has just started with the script for the third Munna Bhai series. Raju needs time to write the script.

Any hint from Raju's side?

No. Raju calls up people all of a sudden and tells them to meet him.