Jackie Shroff: Star kids have a burden to succeed

Actor Jackie Shroff says it is not easy being a star kid as they are under constant scrutiny and pressure to outdo the work of their parents.

Jackie, whose son Tiger is also in films, believes the biggest challenge for star kids is to come out of their family’s shadow and make an identity for themselves.

“They have a burden in their heads, of their father, mother, family. They have the pressure to succeed. Star kids have to come out of the shadow of their fathers, be it me, Bachchan sir (Amitabh Bachchan), Dharmendra, Vinod sir (Vinod Khanna). There are so many people watching you, have expectations from you,” said Jackie.

“It isn’t easy being a star kid that way when you have to tackle all the pressure and still make your mark. It’s (acting) in the genes, if they have it they will use it and make wonders for themselves. Nobody can take away your talent,” he adds. The actor says though he is a celebrity, his son Tiger never grew up like a “star kid” and was always grounded and humble.

“As a kid, he was lovely. He was on his own, never bothered about anything else but his sports and friends. When I first saw him in the incubator, he had a smile on his face. Usually kids cry but he was smiling. I still remember that moment. He is still the same and I like it,” Jackie says.

The 60-year-old actor has recently featured in a short film titled Khujli which also stars Neena Gupta. The 15-minute film, produced by Terribly Tiny Talkies, narrates the story of a middle aged couple who try to rekindle their sex life.

“I was laughing when the script came to me. The way director, Sonam Nair, narrated it to me I had a hearty laugh. I just couldn’t say no. The script took me inside. It isn’t really a sex comedy, by the general standard. There is a message in their too conveyed with grace.” Jackie says over the years, the emotion of love has remained the same but the process of expressing it has undergone a huge change.

“Definition of love may not have changed but this generation definitely has no time. All the emotions stay the same but timing is a problem. Everything has been squeezed into the digital medium. “There is no time for looking into the eyes. The love in the old days had a certain grace, quintessential feel to it. Now everybody is busy in their phones,” he adds.