'I didn't like being compared with my father'

Although he is having a ball shooting for Bade Miyan Chote Miyan with Akshay Kumar in Jordan, Tiger Shroff misses being in Mumbai on his father Jackie Shroff's birthday on February 1.

"I wish I was home to spend the day with Dad," Tiger tells Subhash K Jha.

"But he would never want me to leave my work for any reason. What do I wish for his birthday? Can I make a wish for myself on Dad's birthday? I wish I could acquire even an iota of his self-confidence and swag. The moment he enters a room, he becomes the centre of attention. He doesn't have to try to get attention.

"Every son's first hero is his father. My dad was my first superhero. For me, he was Superman and Batman combined. I loved to see my Dad play the desi superhero. My father didn't have to try to be a superhero; it came naturally to him. He was a tall, well-built and his body language rendered itself effortlessly to the superhero mould. I had to work hard to get into the superhero mould in A Flying Jatt."

What has Jackie taught Tiger about life?

"The one main thing my father has taught me would be to love and respect my mother. His mother was everything to him. To me, my parents are everything for me," he says.

Tiger admits he would never do a remake of his dad's films.

"There are easier ways to commit suicide. With due respects to remakes, I don't want to be compared with him. In Hero, my father was a full-on hero, larger-than-life, the ultimate pinup boy. To compete with that would have been very foolish.

"I didn't like being compared with my father. There is nothing to compare! I was and still am shy, gawky and under-confident around women. My father could charm anyone with just one look.

"I would have never done a remake of Hero. Not at the start of my career, not now. The comparisons would have killed my career. My father oozed sexy confidence in Hero. In my debut film Heropanti, I could barely hold my own on camera. I got clobbered by critics in my first film. My dad was loved from the start."

Tiger admits he did not get much time with his dad during his childhood.

"When my sister (Krishna) and I were growing up, dad was out shooting constantly. Mom chose to give up her career and look after us. But Dad would still make sure he was around for my sister and my important occasions, birthdays included."