Jimmy Shergill prefes good stories over solo lead roles

New Delhi, Apr 29 : Jimmy Shergill has been opting for ensemble cast films of late, be it “Tanu Weds Manu” franchise or “Special 26”, and the actor says he does not mind doing small roles if he likes the scripts.

Jimmy, 45, says he often rejects solo leads because the actor does not find the roles exciting enough. “…On one side, I am always offered these kind of films where I get to play solo leads. Then on the other side, there are stories like ‘Traffic’, ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ that come to me.

I choose these films over solo leads because I feel I have already done the kind of stories the solo lead films offer me,” Jimmy told PTI. “My roles in these films are small but stories are strong and there is a lot of scope of performance,” he added.

The actor is again a part of a multi-starrer, “Traffic”, where he plays a police commissioner. Jimmy says he was taken in by film’s Malayalam version and felt he should “definitely” be a part of it. “‘Traffic’ is being made by late director Rajesh Pillai.

The film was a blockbuster down south and also won National Awards. It changed the guidelines of commercial cinema in Malayalam film industry. It was Rajesh’s dream to make the film in Bollywood.”

“After watching the Malayalam version, I felt I should definitely be a part of it. Traffic is something, which everybody is aware of despite they belong to a big or a small city. The main hero and the villain is traffic,” he said.

The trailer is already hogging the limelight with superstars Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan lending their support to the thriller, which also stars Manoj Bajpayee in a pivotal role.

“We have got some amazing support from people like Salman bhai, SRK… They have all seen the promo and are coming forward to support it. These kind of films do require the support of big stars because they reach to the maximum number of audience,” Jimmy says.

The film also features Prosenjit Chatterjee, Parambrata Chatterjee, Divya Dutta, Amol Parashar and debutant Richa Panai. It is set to hit theatres on May 6. Agency