Jackie Shroff expresses love for Salman Khan, says ‘I used to click his pictures and ask producers to cast him’

Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif are all set to treat their fans on the occasion of Eid with their film Bharat. While Salman Khan plays the main lead in the film, veteran Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff will be seen as his father in the Ali Abbas Zafar directorial. Just a day before the film hit the screens, Jackie Shroff expressed his love for Salman Khan and shared that he considers the actor as he is his son.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Jackie Shroff went down the memory lane and recalled how he would ask producers to cast Salman Khan in films back in the day. “I used to click Salman’s pictures during Falak (1988) and I used to carry his pictures in my pocket asking producers to cast him. (I asked) KC Bokadia,Subhash ji...to cast Salman in their films. I did that for him also. Mujhe lagta tha ye baccha star banega...abhi mauka mila hai bacche ko ki mera beta banane ka (I felt this kid would become a star one day, now I got a chance to make that child my son in a film). He was a baccha for me, for me he is still a baccha (He was a kid to me and remains the same even today),” Jackie goes on and on about his love for Salman.

Jackie added, “He was my big fan and he liked my jeans, my boots. He thinks I am god.” Talking about his role in Bharat, he said, “For him to play my son in Bharat, it is important he looks up to me. If he can’t look up to me, he can’t play my son or he has to be a very good actor. I am happy to play his father. I have a cameo like they always take me, Dhoom, for instance, with its dialogue ‘Haath nahi chodhna saath nahi chodhna’. Similarly, my role in Bharat is like the film’s spine. It’s like a spine that stays throughout the film,” he further says.

Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, Bharat also stars Katrina Kaif, Tabu, Sunil Grover, Nora Fatehi and Disha Patani and is slated to hit theatres on Wednesday, June 5.