Actor Jimmy Sheirgill marked his debut with Gulzar’s Maachis (1996). As the film clocks 25 years of its release, he exclaims, “Who could have asked for a better start!” Sheirgill admits he was rather “intimidated” being directed by the iconic lyricist-filmmaker. “I knew I was in safe hands, but on the other hand, I felt the constant pressure of living up to what the scenes demanded, because I had no prior experience in films,” he recalls.

Sheirgill reveals that he went to meet Gulzar at his office, hoping to get the job of an assistant director on the film. “When he came to know that I attended acting classes, he asked me why I wanted to get into direction. Then he told me to read the script. When he asked me which character I liked the most, I told him Jaimal Singh, as we shared the same nickname. He laughed and gave me the part,” he says.

Upon its release, Maachis emerged as a box-office hit and it won the National Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, in 1997. “When trade pundits would talk about Maachis prior to its release, they’d refer to it as an arty film. But it went on to become a commercial blockbuster,” he ends.