Jai Hemant "Tiger" Shroff (born 2 March 1990), is an Indian actor and singer known for his work in Hindi-language action films.[1] The son of actor Jackie Shroff and producer Ayesha Dutt, he made his film debut with the 2014 romantic action film Heropanti.[2][3][4]
Shroff is best known for his commercially successful action films Baaghi (2016) and its sequel Baaghi 2, and War (2019).[5][6][7] One of the highest paid actors in India, he has featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2018.[8][9]
Early life and background
Jai Hemant Shroff was born on 2 March 1990, to Indian film actor Jackie Shroff and his wife Ayesha Shroff (née Dutt). He is the elder of two siblings, and has a three-year younger sister named Krishna Shroff. Due to his experience in the martial arts, he has frequently spent time helping actors train for movies.
On his paternal side, he is of Gujarati and Turkmen ancestry[17][18] and from his maternal side, he is of Bengali and Belgian descent.[19][20][21][22] Shroff is a devout Hindu devotee of Lord Shiva and has attributed his physique to Lord Shiva. He holds a fast every Monday and during every Mahashivaratri festival.[23][24][25] He studied at the American School of Bombay.[26][27]
Career
Early days (2012–17)
In June 2012, Shroff signed his debut film Heropanti produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and directed by Sabbir Khan.[29] In preparation, he underwent flexibility training under Ziley Mawai.[30] Heropanti was released theatrically in May 2014 and received unfavourable reviews.[31] Nevertheless, it was a commercial hit with domestic net collection of ₹52 crore and lifetime earnings of ₹72.60 crore against its ₹25 crore budget.[32] Shroff garnered praise for his dancing skills and ability to perform onerous stunts, but was criticised for his acting and dialogue delivery.[33] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama appreciated his performance, saying "Tiger registers an impact in several sequences" and that he "scores brownie points in action and stunts". Adarsh also added that "for a first-timer, he exudes supreme confidence".[34] Subhash K. Jha praised him for his versatility, saying that "he emotes, he dances and yes, he can fight".[35] However, Sweta Kaushal of Hindustan Times disagreed, calling his "dialogues forced" and said "his expressions do nothing in a given situation". Despite terming his performance "a little unconvincing", Kaushal called his action sequences "admirable" and said he's a "great dancer".[36] Furthermore, Anupama Chopra, though noting that he has star-like qualities and "very solid screen presence", called his dialogue delivery "off".[37] Shroff's portrayal fetched him the Screen Award for Best Male Debut and the IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year – Male in addition to a Best Male Debut nomination at the 60th Filmfare Awards.[38]
Establishment and singing debut (2018–present)
Shroff's first massive success was the 2018 spiritual sequel of Baaghi, in which he acted as an army officer opposite Disha Patani.[45] Directed by Ahmed Khan and produced by Nadiadwala, it garnered praise for its screenplay, storyline and action scenes.[46] Earning ₹165 crore net in India and a global gross of ₹253 crore, it was one of the year's biggest blockbuster films.[47]
Shroff then agreed to team up with producer Karan Johar for the first time on his 2019 teen romance Student of the Year 2 directed by Punit Malhotra, his first mainstream non-actioner, in which he portrayed a college student competing in an annual championship and was paired with debutants Tara Sutaria and Ananya Panday.[48] Rajeev Masand of News18 called his performance "the film’s singular strength".[49] Ronak Kotecha from The Times of India agreed by saying "Tiger Shroff pretty much carries the film on his well-toned shoulders".[50] It was a box office debacle.[51]
In his many interviews, Shroff expressed his desire to work with his idol Hrithik Roshan, which was finally fulfilled when the two played leading roles together in Siddharth Anand's 2019 directorial War, an action thriller backed by Yash Raj Films producer Aditya Chopra.[52] War broke all the opening-day records and became the biggest blockbuster of 2019, entering the 300 Crore Club in India and earning over ₹475 crore globally.[53] It ranks among the highest-grossing Indian films ever.[54]
In 2021, Shroff is slated to reunite with Heropanti co-star Sanon for Vikas Bahl's dystopian action-thriller Ganapath. He is also set to return with Nadiadwala and Ahmed Khan in Heropanti 2 for a sequel to Heropanti, starring opposite Sutaria, scheduled for release on 3 December, 2021.[57]