Jackie Shroff in Chunnilal's role with Shah Rukh Khan as Devdas.
Jackie Shroff in Chunnilal's role with Shah Rukh Khan as Devdas. (PC: Eros Universe ShowTime/YouTube)Jackie Shroff recently opened up about playing the iconic Chunnilal in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas, revealing that the role came to him only after several other actors had turned it down. During an interview with Republic Bharat, Jackie recalled his Devdas days after a woman in the audience told him that she had watched the film five times. Reacting to her response, the actor said, “Nobody was taking that role because Shah Rukh Khan saab was essaying Devdas’ character. ’ Madhuri (Dixit) ji is there, and I am the king of her character’s (Chandramukhi) brothel. Why shouldn’t I sit there? I said, ‘Very good’ and asked what’s the second thing that I have. ”He asked the female fan, “You also saw it. ” Also Read: ‘Everyone was thrashing me’: Salman Khan recalls how Dus Ka Dum saved him from career downfall During the conversation, Jackie Shroff credited actor-filmmaker Dev Anand with spotting him and offering him a junior artiste’s role in Swami Dada (1982), in which he played one of Shakti Kapoor’s henchmen. Mithun Chakraborty played the lead. Shroff also expressed gratitude to filmmaker Subhash Ghai for giving him his breakthrough as a leading man with Hero (1983). He credited the film’s iconic flute theme with playing a significant role in establishing him as a star and thanked Lord Krishna for blessing both him and his son, Tiger Shroff. The tune was later reworked for a new generation in Tiger’s debut film Heropanti (2014) Jackie Shroff was last seen in The Great Grand Superhero. He is awaiting the release of his horror film Kaali Kheti on October 23, 2026.
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