Jackie Shroff on children Tiger and Krishna being ‘one-quarter Gujarati, Turkish, Bengali, French’, not imposing one religion on them

Jackie Shroff was born to a Gujarati father and Turkish mother, whereas wife Ayesha's parents were Bengali and French.

New Delhi | May 20, 2023 10:46 AM IST

3 min read

Actor Jackie Shroff talks about which religion his family follows. (Photo: Instagram/apnabidu/ayeshashroff)

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Actor Jackie Shroff was born in Mumbai’s Teen Patti area and went on to become one of Bollywood’s biggest stars in the ’80s. Jackie and his wife Ayesha come from different cultural backgrounds, and he revealed in a new interview that their children, daughter Krishna and son Tiger, have asked him what religion they should follow.

Jackie was born to Gujarati father and Turkish mother, whereas Ayesha’s parents were Bengali and French. In an interview with Lehren Retro, Jackie was asked if his children are ‘one-quarter Gujarati, one-quarter Turkish, one-quarter Bengali and one-quarter Belgian’, and he said, “They ask me, ‘What’s our religion?’ I say that mother is your religion. Touch your mother’s feat, respect her, and that’s it.”

The actor said that he doesn’t adhere to any one particular religion. He said, “We do Ganpati, we go wherever they call us, any puja… Being in the films, they keep calling me. Kahin bhi chale jayein, church mein jaa kar sermon bhi padh leta hun, I go to dargah also. Farak nahi padta (I can go anywhere. I go to a church and attend sermons, I go to dargahs also. It doesn’t matter). Ye hai ki just be human and that’s what I told Tiger, to be a human as much as you can. Respect people and let humanity be your motto.”

The actor has been part of blockbuster films such as Ram Lakhan, Trimurti, and Hero, among others. However, there was a time when the actor struggled with finances while trying to help others around him. When asked if he is better at managing money now, the actor joked, “There is a hole in the lines of my hand from where the money flows and then it drops.”

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Then, the veteran actor added on a serious note, “There are so many problems, there are so many people, we have problems of our own, but I have been doing that since the time I came into the film industry.”

Crediting his genetics and remembering brother Hemant, who died while saving a friend, Jackie further said, “Being born in Teen Patti Naka. Having genetics like that: having a brother who can give life for a friend. So, it’s not me, its my genetics. When I see someone in need of help, I will go all out of my way but then usually some of them come and s**t on you, but main ruka nahi abhi tak.”

On the work-front, Jackie was last seen in the 2022 films Atithi Bhooto Bhava and Phone Bhoot. He will next be seen in the film Baap, which also features Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt and Mithun Chakraborty.

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