It’s Bollywood for Jimmy Shergill despite Punjabi hits

MUMBAI - Jimmy Shergill, who impressed critics with his performance in “A Wednesday”, has delivered two back-to-back Punjabi blockbusters. But the actor says Bollywood is where his heart is and he has films with Karan Johar and Shoojit Sircar lined up.

His Punjabi hits were “Tera Mera Ki Rishta” and “Munde UK De”, but the actor says he will stick to one Punjabi flick a year from now on.

“This year it was an exception since it was an old commitment to Manmohan Singh, director of ‘Munde UK De’. This is the reason why both ‘Tera Mera Ki Rishta’ and ‘Munde UK De’ came almost simultaneously,” Jimmy told IANS.

“It would primarily be Hindi films for me while Punjabi films would have to be really exclusive. I don’t wish to jump the gun and move away from Mumbai,” said the actor whose Punjabi films have been doing great business in India and overseas.

Jimmy is having the best time of his career after spending over a decade in Bollywood. The actor, who debuted with Gulzar’s “Maachis” in 1996, came to the spotlight for his performance in Sircar’s 2005 film “Yahaan”. And now he is looking forward to Karan Johar’s “My Name Is Khan”, which stars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in lead roles.

“My upcoming Hindi films do look quite good. Either Karan Johar’s ‘My Name Is Khan’ or Shoojit Sirkar’s ‘Johnny Mastana’ would be my next release. Later this year I also begin shooting for Abhinay Deo’s ‘Crooked’. With so much happening, I have to find empty space in my diary to accommodate any more projects,” Jimmy said.

But he is happy that both his Punjabi films, which continue to have a great run in theatres, are paying good dividends.

“To think of it, perhaps ‘Tera Mera Ki Rishta’ could have grossed even more if not for the producers v/s multiplexes stand-off. Since the film was backed by EROS, the production house that was supporting the strike, it couldn’t release in multiplexes. ‘Munda UK De’ has been luckier though since it has been made by an independent producer who went ahead and released the film in multiplexes,” he said.

Though it would mainly be Hindi films ahead for Jimmy, he has already consented to the next Punjabi film by director Navaniat Singh, who made a smashing debut with ‘Tera Mera Ki Rishta’.

“The man comes with right cinematic sensibilities. He has worked with the likes of Aditya Chopra and Manomohan Singh and knows the craft of cinema. His next is again a family entertainer and I’m sure he would come up with a great script again. We should begin shooting early next year,” Jimmy said.

Other than “Tera Mera Ki Rishta” and “Munde UK De”, Jimmy has earlier worked in Punjabi films like “Yaaran Naal Baharan” and “Mannat”.