Tiger Shroff on the genesis of his screen alter egos, feeling like an outsider on the sets of the SOTY sequel and why he would like to be paired opposite Madhuri Dixit
Nishi Tiwari (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 4, 2019)

Tiger Shroff doesn’t talk much. Questions pertaining to the status of upcoming projects, him entering a franchise mid-way, and his father Jackie Shroff’s second innings at the movies are evaded with a vague “Sorry, I can’t talk about this right now”, “It’s always fun with a film like Student Of The Year”, and “I’ve always been proud of him.”

When he does open up, all bets are off, especially while revisiting his childhood and a dream that he gets to live out as an adult. It began when Tiger was four. While flipping through channels with his father one day, a chance encounter with Bruce Lee’s Enter The Dragon became his own rite of passage. “I was like, ‘Man, I want to be like him,’ After that, my parents enrolled me in a karate class and the rest is history,” he says, recounting his initiation into Mixed Martial Arts.

While it would go on to facilitate a successful career as an action star for the 29-year-old actor, Tiger reveals that it was the idea of a hero that pulled him in. “I always aspired to do heroic things, be it superheroes or larger-than-life characters like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan. I have always wanted to be the stereotypical hero… Stand on top of a building or a mountain, face a helicopter or an army of baddies. These visuals keep flashing in my head. For example, if a person or a country is in danger, I want to be their last hope. That’s the kind of a vibe I look at and that’s what motivates me and really floats my boat,” he states in a matter-of-fact manner.

While he has successfully infused this concept into his screen alter egos who are outspoken and characteristically swoop in to save the day, Tiger has often described himself as a shy guy who leads a disciplined life. Ask him if the lines between the real and the reel ever blur, and he considers the question for a moment. “I try to live as clean and as good a life as possible, and I try to help as many people as I can along the way… At least as much as is within my power, so yeah, you can say that (it happens),” he says.

The actor who, along with debutantes Ananya Panday and Tara Sutaria, has taken over from Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra in Student Of The Year 2, asserts that his priorities in life have been crystal clear ever since he was a student in school. “I was only focused on sports and didn’t pay much attention to studies. I used to go to school only to play sports. Ever since I was a child, I have been naturally gifted physically so every sports day, or at sports tournaments, I would always shine over my classmates. That’s something that got me a lot of popularity among my friends as well,”

Tiger reveals. After delivering hits with the likes of Sabbir Khan and Ahmed Khan, the actor is appearing in a Karan Johar production for the first time. Does it feel like a personal milestone? “It’s a superb feeling, it’s an amazing production house. Karan and Punit (Malhotra, director) are lovely people and so easy to work with. They are so efficient, it is inspiring to be around them. And I love the visuals they conjure up. Everything is so beautiful, and every frame is so full of colour,” the actor gushes.

But surely, it must be a different feeling to take over a franchise midway? “Well yes, I am an outsider and I feel like I am in alien territory,” he acknowledges, but is quick to add that he was lucky that his director made him fit in easily. “SOTY is Karan sir’s baby franchise and the expectations drove me to work hard. This is not my franchise like Baaghi, which is home ground for me. There is not much pressure to perform there but here I have big shoes to fill as well. The first film launched three stars. I must make sure that I don’t let their fans down,” he says.

While on SOTY 2, Tiger acknowledges that it is a departure from the hi-octane actioners that dominate his portfolio. “This one’s more of a love triangle with sports as the backdrop. There’s competition, dance, masala… It’s not like I am playing superman here, I also get bullied in college,” he reasons, noting that he’s done a “light” film after a long time. What would be a heavy film then, one wonders, and he explains, “It is something that is heavy on action and is very emotional… Or something like that. This (SOTY 2) is a fun film. It has emotions, but nobody is dying or anything.”

He may be kicked about the film but is in no mood to explore other genres. “Right now, I am very happy doing what I am doing, I am happy with my line-up currently,”

he insists. Speaking of upcoming projects, buzz is, the third instalment of Baaghi will have the climax set in a desert. “I don’t know about that. I haven’t had a narration yet,” Tiger says, suddenly short of words again. Mirror had earlier reported (September 20, 2018) that the actor is set to make his Hollywood debut with a Lawrence Kasanoff production. Tiger informs briefly that he is still in talks and hasn’t signed anything yet. And what’s the status on Hrithik v/s Tiger? “I have only one action sequence and a song remaining to do with Hrithik sir. There’s a lot of speculation going on about the story and stuff but none of it is true. Once the teaser is out you will get an idea,” he shares.

It’s the advent of unlikely screen pairings. While Disha Patani is opposite Salman Khan in Bharat, the latter will be seen romancing Alia Bhatt in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Inshallah. Ask Tiger who would be his unlikely co-star of choice, and he picks Madhuri Dixit. An incredulous reaction is met with a quip: “You said unlikely.” And in quite an out-of-character manoeuvre, Tiger uses semantics to get the better of you.

Tiger Shroff on SOTY 2, plans for Baaghi 3 and why working with Hrithik Roshan gave him goosebumps
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 25, 2018)

2018 was a career-defining year for Tiger Shroff who turned from a boy to a man on his way to breaking bones and some box-office records too. The action-packed Baaghi sequel which saw Jackie’s cub metamorphose into a macho army officer was the biggest opener of the year, the record broken only three months later when Salman Khan entered the race with the third instalment of the hit franchise. Tiger reveals that producer Sajid Nadiadwala had expected Baaghi 2 to take an opening of Rs 15 crore, the estimate upping as release day drew close. “When we woke up to learn that it had surpassed all our expectations to collect Rs 25 crore on day one, everyone was over the moon,” Tiger reminisces with a laugh, adding that his team still can’t believe that the thriller is among the year’s top five hits.

Quiz him on what he looks for in a film and Tiger informs that his team has done some research and learnt that his films work better in the B and C centres (small town and interiors). “So, when giving the nod to a script, I keep that audience in mind,” he explains.

Sajid Nadiadwala recently announced Baaghi 3 with Tiger continuing to spearhead the franchise. When asked if he feels the pressure of expectations, the actor says blithely, “I’m blessed to have a strong producer like Sajid Nadiadwala and a director like Ahmed Khan who go all out in terms of scale. The USP of the franchise is action and not nonsensical stuff but action with an emotional core. And we want to get bigger and better with every film.”

A few weeks before the release of Part 2, Ahmed had told Mirror that multiple ideas were in place for the next instalment and it was now for Sajid to decide which one to go with. When asked to comment on the script selection process, the actor shrugs, “I don’t have much of a say in that. Sajid sir, Ahmed sir and the writers are working day and night to formulate the best route for Baaghi 3.”

Recently, Tiger wrapped up the first schedule of his yet untitled film with Hrithik Roshan, another actioner, and describes it as a surreal experience. “Seeing the two of us in the same frame gives me goosebumps. It’s a beautiful story with challenging characters written for both Hrithik sir and me and will be a mega treat,” he promises.

The 28-year-old actor goes on to admit that he has been crazy about maar dhaad flicks since he was a boy and it was his childhood dream to be accepted as an action hero. And now that he has broken into the genre, he would want to make his identity in it before experimenting in a new space. “It’s something that is working for me presently. After a certain age, I won’t be able to pull off the stunts that I am able to today. Since I have age on my side, I want to harness my physical prowess to my advantage,” he reasons.

Interestingly, Tiger shares a lot of inputs with his producers and directors when filming action sequences. “Usually I choreograph my own stunts. I share a lot of inputs with the directors, the final call is of course theirs. I am capable of a lot of things, so it is not difficult to give them variations in the action,” he beams proudly, saying be it a stunt or a dance step, he doesn’t stop practicing until it is perfect. “These things are movement-based and get better with practice.”

Apart from the Bollywood blood-sport, there is also a film with Lawrence Kasanoff, the producer of Mortal Kombat series, and Gulshan Grover’s son Sanjay, that is expected to mark Tiger’s Hollywood debut. Kasanoff was in India last month to meet the actor. “I haven’t signed on for the film yet, but I am in talks. It is too early to reveal more details,” he says.

Tiger will be seen next year in the Student of The Year sequel which he describes as “a completely alien territory”. Pointing out that one will see him in a completely different light in the campus drama which will introduce two new girls, Ananya Panday and Tara Sutaria, Tiger says about his role, “It’s like Superman has been stripped off his power. I’m the underdog in the film and so surrendered myself in this world to Karan Johar (producer) and Punit Malhotra’s (director) superior judgement,” he admits. “It was always a dream to do a high school film full of gloss and glamour, so, I am really looking forward to this one in the new year.”

As the senior actor among the trio, did he end up doling out advice? “I didn’t feel like a senior. Ananya and Tara came well prepared to the sets and they made me feel like I was working with two industry veterans,” he asserts.

Tiger doesn’t rule out the possibility of working with dad Jackie who will be seen in a true-life action-packed espionage thriller, RAW, in 2019. “You will see me work with my father the day we have the right script in place. However, we don’t discuss work at home as I like to keep my career independent from the family,” he says. If not an actor, what would he have been? “A football player,” reveals Tiger, who recently launched his own gym in Mumbai. When asked if he would launch someone he spots in the gym who has a spark of an actor, Tiger shoots back, “I am nobody to launch anyone at present because I am still struggling. However, if anyone requires advice on any matter, I will be there for them. It’s too early for me to mentor anyone.”

Top producer flies to Mumbai to meet the actor, who could play the lead in his next action film
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 20, 2018)

Bollywood’s latest action hero Tiger Shroff is all set to take his rippling muscles and death-defying stunts to Hollywood. Mirror has learnt that the 28-year-old actor has caught the eye of a top Hollywood producer, Lawrence Kasanoff, who flew to Mumbai over the weekend for a final round of discussions with Tiger for his next big project. Tiger is also set to star in Siddharth Anand’s official Hindi remake of Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo.

According to a source close to the development, during the hush-hush trip, Tiger had several meetings with Kasanoff, producer of the Mortal Kombat series, at a suburban hotel.

“Along with Larry, a big studio head, some of their associates and Emmy Award-winning writer Sean Catherine Derek of the Batman series had also flown to India. Sanjay Grover, who has been a part of the project for the last one year, was also present at the meetings,” informed the source.

“Larry shared the script of his film with Sanjay who suggested they bring on board a fresh new face to play the lead and strongly recommended his childhood buddy Tiger with whom he had studied in school, to play the lead. Larry and his team were impressed with Tiger who they felt has an international look, is trained in martial arts, has a large fan following and has age on his side,” said the source.

Sanjay, who is Gulshan Grover’s son, has previously served as director, Special Projects at Hollywood Studio, Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), for over a decade. He has been associated with films like The Hobbit, The Zookeeper, Fame, Creed and the James Bond franchise.

With the idea of making movies for the world market, the Hollywood team flew into India for the final round of discussions with him. “This could be the biggest break for an Indian actor in a big budget, mainstream Hollywood film which could spin into a worldwide Intellectual Property Franchise like Mortal Kombat. Casting an Indian actor in the main lead in a Hollywood film is a first for Larry too,” asserted the source, adding that Tiger could be fighting Jackie Chan, Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee, in the film.

Kasanoff produces films, TV series and location-based entertainment based on some of the biggest brands, including Star Wars, Lego and Star Trek. As producer and studio head, he has over 250 films to his credit, including Dirty Dancing and the Oscar-winning movie, Platoon. He was the executive producer of James Cameron’s True Lies and Terminator 2: Judgement Day and has also been associated with another Academy Award-winner, Kathryn Bigelow, on her films Blue Steel and Strange Days. He has produced all Mortal Kombat media, including the two films, Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. In music, he has worked with several of the world’s biggest artistes, including Michael Jackson and the Rolling Stones.