Unfettered by the failure of 'A Flying Jatt', Tiger Shroff is sure about striking back

Tiger Shroff

Tiger Shroff

Hi, I'm Tiger," comes Tiger Shroff's response to our own introduction, when we greet him at his sea-facing Bandra residence. In a loose tee and tracks, he looks slighter than he does on the big screen whilst pirouetting mid-air and kicking his on-screen antagonists with the grace of a ballet dancer. Breaking our perception that celebrities wake up looking gorgeous, Tiger's frizzy mane is a far cry from his drool-worthy curls that give him a clean chit to skip going chop-chop. Talking to hitlist about his upcoming musical actioner, Munna Michael, he describes his dance sequence as his "hardest in terms of choreography" yet. Shroff will be seen in the role of a young Michael Jackson fan with aspirations of becoming a pop icon, much like his on-screen idol.

A still from A Flying Jatt (2016)

Prod him on why the film proves to be challenging for a dancer of his calibre, and he reasons that it was intentionally crafted thus. "It has to be a tribute to MJ," he says.

Battling the actor in a dance-off in the film will be Nawazuddin Siddique, who's confessed to having greenlit the film only to face his fear of dance. Revealing how this mash-up will occur, Tiger says, "Nawaz sir would tell me he gets a fever watching me dance, but when the cameras come on, he transforms. He's a wise actor. He understands that he doesn't have to outshine me, but only fulfil his character's demands. Besides, we'd break down the steps for him the night before the shoot so that it was easier to absorb the choreography."

Fail no more
The success of the movie, which marks the third collaboration of the actor with director Sabbir Khan, is essential for Tiger, given that his last outing, A Flying Jatt (2016), failed to soar high at the box office. "I was thoroughly depressed after the film's failure. A good proportion of my fans are children. [If we were targeting that] this was Tiger Shroff plus a superhero film. We couldn't understand where it could go wrong," he says, further confessing that the movie's debacle pushes him to work harder. "I wake up thinking about it everyday. It motivates me. Today, I'm quite sure I won't fail again. I am that certain of my films this year," he asserts.

Thanks Sajid
A scan of his repertoire of films is sufficient to ascertain that the actor has either had a strong action or dance component in all his big-screen outings. Asked if he fears being stereotyped and he narrates an incident tracing back to his debut film. "When Sajid sir (Nadiadwala, producer) cast me in Heropanti (2014), he said, 'You know Tiger, you have an innocence within you, but at the same time, you have this tough look. It's a unique and special combination.' I didn't know if it was a compliment or not, because I wanted to look tough. Later, I realised that this gives me more cinematic liberties. I can play an action hero, but because of my looks, I can also transform into a younger kid. Today, all the offers that I get are regular love stories that have little to do with action or dance," he informs.

Tiger also credits the producer for keeping him from getting complacent. "He once told me how important it is to constantly work on getting better at your work. Even after so many successes, he wants to get better with each day. I try to imbibe that from him. He has planned some interesting things for Baaghi 2. I can't wait for it to start," Tiger signs off.