Jackie Shroff Height, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Jackie Shroff

• Does Jackie Shroff smoke?: No (quit) ^[13]msn

• Does Jackie Shroff drink alcohol?: No (quit) ^[14]News 18

• Jackie Shroff is a popular Indian actor who has done more than 200 films in almost thirteen languages.

• He belongs to a Gujarati-speaking family of Mumbai. His father, Kakubhai Shroff was a Gujarati and belonged to a wealthy pearl trader’s family while his mother was a Turkish. The real name of his mother was Hoorunnisa, and she converted to Hinduism after marriage and took the name as Rita.

• His mother belonged to Kazakhstan, and when there was a coup in Kazakhstan, his maternal grandmother, along with her six daughters (including Jackie’s mother), came down all the way through Ladakh, Delhi, and finally settled in Mumbai.
  

  Jackie Shroff With His Parents at Teen Batti

• Just like Jackie, his parents also had a love marriage. When his parents got married, they both were teenagers.

• After his father had lost lots of money in shares, he shifted to a small one-room flat in Teen Batti at Malabar Hill in Mumbai where Jackie was born and grew up. ^[15]T2
  

  Jackie shows around his childhood home to Arjan Bajwa

• Jackie lived at Teen Batti till the age of 30. It was his wife, Ayesha who later sold the flat and got him a new flat. At that time, Ayesha was a model and belonged to a wealthy family staying in a 4,200 sq ft house in South Mumbai. Jackie first met Ayesha at a bust stop when he was 15 while Ayesha was 14. While talking about Ayesha, he says,
  

  Ayesha is half-French and half- Bengali. I first saw her when she was 14 or 15 standing at a bus stop. I saw her lovely legs. The bus stopped, I stopped and I said, ‘Hi.’ And I said, ‘My name is Jackie.’ She said, ‘My name is Ayesha.’ I said, ‘What do you do?’ She said, ‘I have come to meet my boyfriend.’ I said, ‘I have come to play on the playstation.’ And it started off from there.” ^[16]Times of India

  

  An Old Photo of Jackie Shroff and His Wife Ayesha

• There is a sad story behind his nickname “Jaggu Dada.” It was, in fact, his elder brother, Hemant Shroff, a mill worker, who had earned the title of “Dada” in the chawl area in Mumbai where his family used to live. His elder brother was very popular in the locality for his helping hand. However, his elder brother had a tragic end when he drowned into the water while saving a person from drowning. At that time, Jackie was 10 years old. While talking about it, Jackie Shroff says,
  

  My brother was the real Jaggu Dada of our chawl. He used to take care of our slum people, look after them when in need. But at a very young age, unfortunately my brother jumped into the sea to save someone. And my brother didn’t know swimming, so he started drowning. I threw a cable line at him; he held onto it, was floating for few seconds but the cable slipped out of his hands. I was young and scared, and I stood there watching him drown. After him, I decided I had to look after my slum people just like he does and then I TURNED INTO JAGGU DADA.” ^[17]Dailyhunt

• After his brother’s demise, he became such a frightened child that he would often hide under the bed even on a cracker’s noise. It was his mother who boosted his morale and raised him to become a successful person. He was so attached to his mother that while talking about it, he says,
  

  I loved my mom too much. But I always ask myself that if I loved her so much, why didn’t I burn myself with her. I get vivid dreams about my mother thrice a week. I go to my old house in my dreams and go sit with her and press her feet, sitting down besides her. I touch my mother’s photograph every morning after taking a shower and show her picture to the sun as she used to pray to the sun every morning.”

  

  An Old Photo of Jackie Shroff With His Mother

• He was a good athlete in his school; however, his smoking habit, that he had started in his teenage, hampered his athletic skills. In his modelling days, he also endorsed many cigarette brands. After remaining a chain-smoker for years, he finally quit smoking on his children’s insistence. While talking about it, he says,
  

  Tiger used to say, ‘daddy stop it… stop it… stop it. Jab hum bachhon ko bolte hai ki aisa mat karo, we expect them to understand in one go. So, I realised that we, as parents, should also understand why the child is making a request and the intent behind it. When my children told me to stop it, I just quit. It took some time though, but now, I’m completely out of it.” ^[18]msn

  

  Jackie Shroff as a Model for a Cigarette Brand

• After 11th standard, he couldn’t further his studies; owing to his family’s financial constraints, so he quit studies and started working in a travel agency called “Trade Wings” in Mumbai. It was during that time that when he was standing at a bust stop, a person from a modelling agency approached him and offered him a modelling assignment. While talking about it, he says,
  

  I was working in a travel agency and was standing on a bus stop when this person from a modelling agency asked me, ‘Why don’t you become a model?’ He said, ‘Photo lega, paisa dega.’ During my lunch break, I met him and gave my measurements and became a model.”

  

  Jackie Shroff in a Modelling Shoot

• After becoming a model, he left his travel agency job at Trade Wings and started doing modelling. His first salary from modelling was Rs. 7500. ^[19]Facebook
  

  Jackie Shroff endorsing a product as a Model

• Not only Jackie Shroff, but his mother was also a big fan of Dev Anand, and it was Dev Anand who had launched him in Bollywood. Sharing the memory about how he got to meet Dev Anand for the first time, he says,
  

  One of my friends from my school Kishore Chandramani was a rich kid and through him I came to know all the rich Gujarati and Sindhi kids in the area who all became my friends and my fan as I was this cool dude who was born stylish. I met Suneil Anand (Dev Anand’s son) in my acting class and requested him to make me meet Dev Anand as my mother was his big fan. I met Dev Anand and he said, ‘Subah subah tumhari tasveer dekhi and sham ko tum samne khade ho. Tumhe ek role doonga. Parallel role hai, main hero hoon, tum second hero.’ I thought to myself, wow hero and I debuted in Swami Dada.”

  

  Jackie Shroff With Dev Anand

• After Swami Dada, Subhash Ghai launched him in a titular role in the film Hero (1983) opposite Meenakshi Sheshadri. The film became such a hit that it’s still considered one of the most celebrated romantic films in India. The film also established Jackie Shroff in Bollywood’s big league. 

• Jackie was often paired with Anil Kapoor; as both had started their careers together, and the duo went on to give a number of hits, like Andar Bahar (1984), Yudh (1985), Karma (1986), Ram Lakhan (1989), and Parinda (1989).
  

  Jackie Shroff With Anil Kapoor

• The popular Bollywood film Gardish (1993) in which he portrayed a common man taking on the criminal elements in society is considered his best work till date. ^[20]Tata Sky 

• Jackie is considered one of the most stylish actors in Bollywood, and his close association with designer Anna Singh has helped him maintain his style and persona.
  

  Jackie Shroff standing behind his costume designer Anna Singh

• In Bollywood, he is good friends with Danny Denzongpa, Dimple Kapadia, and Amrita Singh. ^[21]Times of India
  

  Jackie Shroff and Danny Denzongpa

• Jackie is very close to nature and loves to do organic farming, and he often spends time at his organic farm where he grows various organic herbs. He even attended the opening of the environment Jaldhaara Foundation.
  

  Jackie Shroff Doing Farming at His Farm Land

• He is also known for his philanthropic efforts for the less fortunate.

• His real surname was Saraf which his father changed to Shroff.

• Apart from being an actor, he is a skilled cook, and before acting, he tried his hand as a chef in Hotel Taj, but he got rejected; owing to his lack of required qualification.
  

  Jackie Shroff Dressed as a Chef along with Neelam and Anupam Kher

• He had also tried to become a flight attendant in Air India, but there again he was rejected for falling short of the minimum qualifications.

• During the shoot of a Polio ad in 1998, he was seen using foul language on camera.

• Jackie, along with his wife Ayesha, runs a production company “Jackie Shroff Entertainment Limited” and has produced a few films under this production, such as Grahan (2000), Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rehta Hai (2000), Boom (2003), and Sandhya (2003). However, none of them was a success at the box office.

• After playing the role of Sai Baba in the film Malik Ek (2010), he quit smoking, drinking, and non-vegetarian food.
  

  Jackie Shroff as Sai Baba

• Jackie Shroff is such a versatile actor that he has essayed almost every kind of characters; be it a hero, a villain, or even a ghost (in Bhoot Uncle). After the ’90s, he mostly appeared in supporting roles, and his role of “Chunni Lal” in Shah Rukh Khan‘s film Devdas (2002) is still considered one of his best performances as a supporting actor.
  

  Jackie Shroff and Shah Rukh Khan in Devdas