Actor Jason Shah recently grabbed eyeballs with his portrayal of the British officer Cartwright in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus Heeramandi. In a candid chat with Free Press Journal, he opened up on working with the ace filmmaker, doing a same-sex intimate scene, his journey in Bollywood, and more.
“I was quite surprised when the opportunity to be a part of Heeramandi came through,” Jason shares, adding that once the initial feeling sunk in, he decided to work hard to justify the role given to him. “I have played many over-the-top and aggressive characters, so this time, I just wanted to keep it subtle. I didn’t want to look like I had six-pack abs, a very typical Baywatch looking boy, as I was playing a police officer and these men probably were quite high on the alcohol. So, I ate two burgers just before my shirtless shot to look slightly bloated,” he reveals.
There has been a lot of chatter of late over Bhansali and his foul temper. And while Jason agrees that a part of it is indeed true, he justifies it by calling the filmmaker a ‘perfectionist’. “There are definitely issues. I won’t get into details because I am on a contract. The only thing I can say is everyone is extreme when they’re a perfectionist. Some are extreme in their religion, some are extreme in their work. And whenever you are extreme in something, your expectations in that space are held very high,” he states.
A particular scene of Jason getting intimate with co-actor Indresh Malik in Heeramandi has gone viral, and the actor says that both of them were quite nervous while shooting it. “I knew it will be shot very aesthetically and it won’t look vulgar in any way as this was Bhansali. I was quite nervous but the scene between Indresh and me was all professional. Even though we were both quite nervous, I think we eventually worked into it,” he shares.
Jason has been a part of showbiz for several years now, but the actor seems to have not gotten his due in the industry as of yet. “I think it is probably because of the fact that we are in India, but I look like a foreigner. It would have happened a long time ago had I had the chocolate boy looks and I could have already bagged a hero’s role due to the amount of hardwork I do. It is probably because of the way I look that I’ve been given a very certain space, but I hope that will change going ahead,” he says.
He adds that he has no regrets in his career so far because everything has been a learning experience for him. “It doesn’t matter if I get small characters, big characters, positive or negative roles, but it’s the learning that counts. My years in TV taught me so much. I’ve gotten good response from people of all age groups. So, I feel blessed. It has been a beautiful journey,” he concludes.
