Jimmy Sheirgill (born Jasjit Singh Gill; 3 December 1970), also credited as Jimmy Shergill, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...
and
Punjabi
Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan
* Punjabi language
* Punjabi people
* Punjabi dialects and languages
Punjabi may also refer to:
* Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
films.
Sheirgill began his film career with the 1996 thriller ''
Maachis''. His breakthrough came with the
blockbuster
Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to:
*Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived.
Corporations
* Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain
** Blo ...
musical romantic drama ''
Mohabbatein
''Mohabbatein'' () is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film that was written and directed by Aditya Chopra and produced by Yash Chopra of Yash Raj Films. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Aishwarya Rai, and newc ...
'' (2000), which became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of the year, following which he starred in several other box-office hits including ''
Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai'' (2002), ''
Munna Bhai M.B.B.S
''Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.'' () is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language comedy drama film written and directed by Rajkumar Hirani (in his directorial debut) and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It was the first installment of '' Munna Bhai series''. Release ...
'' (2003), ''
Hum Tum Hum Tum may refer to the following:
* Hum Tum (film), 2004 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film
* Hum Tum (album), 1995 album by Pakistani band Vital Signs
* Hum Tum (2010 TV series), 2010 Pakistani television serial
* Hum Tum (2022 TV serie ...
'' (2004), ''
A Wednesday!
''A Wednesday!'' is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language thriller film written and directed by Neeraj Pandey and produced by Ronnie Screwvala, Anjum Rizvi and Shital Bhatia under UTV Motion Pictures and Friday Filmworks. Though a work of fiction, th ...
'' (2008), ''
Tanu Weds Manu
''Tanu Weds Manu'' is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama by Aanand L. Rai, and produced by Shailesh R Singh. It stars R. Madhavan, Kangana Ranaut, Jimmy Sheirgill, Eijaz Khan, Swara Bhaskar and Deepak Dobriyal. The story o ...
'' (2011), ''
Special 26'' (2013), ''
Happy Bhag Jayegi'' (2016) and ''
De De Pyaar De'' (2019). His highest-grossing releases came with the comedy-drama ''
Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' (2006), the drama film ''
My Name Is Khan
''My Name Is Khan'', is a 2010 social drama film directed by Karan Johar and written by Shibani Bathija and lyricist Niranjan Iyengar. It was produced by Hiroo Yash Johar and Gauri Khan under their production companies, Dharma Productions ...
'' (2010) and the romantic comedy ''
Tanu Weds Manu: Returns'' (2015), all of which rank among the
highest-grossing Indian films of all time. The latter earned him a nomination for the
Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor
The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Although the awards star ...
.
Sheirgill made his Punjabi film debut with ''
Yaaran Naal Baharan'' in 2005. His notable work in Punjabi cinema include ''
Mel Karade Rabba'' (2010), ''
Dharti'' (2011), ''
Aa Gaye Munde U.K. De
''Aa Gaye Munde U.K. De'' or ''Munde U.K. De 2'' (English: Here Comes The UK Boys.) is a 2014 Punjabi romantic comedy film directed by Manmohan Singh and produced by Sunny Trehan/Trehan Productions. The film features Jimmy Sheirgill, Neeru Bajw ...
'' (2014), ''
Shareek
''Shareek'' ( pa, ਸ਼ਰੀਕ) is a 2015 Punjabi musical drama film directed by Navaniat Singh, starring Jimmy Sheirgill, Mahie Gill, Guggu Gill, Simar Gill, Oshin Sai, Mukul Dev, Kuljinder Sidhu, Prince KJ, Hobby Dhaliwal, Gulchoo Jolly. ...
'' (2015) and ''
Daana Paani'' (2018).
Early life
Jimmy Sheirgill was born into a
Jat family of
Punjabi
Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan
* Punjabi language
* Punjabi people
* Punjabi dialects and languages
Punjabi may also refer to:
* Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
Sikh
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ' ...
aristocracy, and his paternal great aunt was the famous Indian painter
Amrita Sher-Gil
Amrita Sher-Gil (30 January 1913 – 5 December 1941) was a Hungarian-Indian painter. She has been called "one of the greatest avant-garde women artists of the early 20th century" and a pioneer in modern Indian art. Drawn to painting from an ear ...
.
He studied at
St. Francis' College
St. Francis' College (SFC) is a senior secondary boys-only private school in Lucknow, India, established and administered by The Catholic Diocese of Lucknow, a charitable religious society. The college was founded in 1885 as St. Francis' School a ...
,
Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and divisio ...
for a few years and then moved to his ancestral home state of
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
, in 1985. He studied at The Punjab Public School,
Nabha
Nabha is a city and municipal council in the Patiala district in the south-west of the Indian state of Punjab. It was the capital of the former Nabha State. Nabha is also a sub-division city which comes under Patiala district.
Geography
Nabha ...
and at Bikram College,
Punjabi University
Punjabi University is a collegiate state public university located in Patiala, Punjab, India. It was established on 30 April 1962 and is only the second university in the world to be named after a language, after Hebrew University of Israel. ...
,
Patiala
Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the '' Qila Mubarak'' (the 'Fortunate Castle') constru ...
. He completed his graduation degree from
Post Graduate Government College - 11, Chandigarh,
Panjab University
Panjab University (PU) is a collegiate public state university located in Chandigarh, Punjab. Funded through both State and Union governments, it is considered a state university. It traces its origins to the University of the Punjab in Laho ...
.
He went to
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
after a cousin convinced him to try his luck in the film industry. There, he attended Roshan Taneja's acting classes.
Career
Hindi films
Sheirgill started his acting career in 1996 with the critically acclaimed film ''
Maachis'', directed by
Gulzar
Sampooran Singh Kalra (born 18 August 1934), known professionally as Gulzar, is an Indian Urdu poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of greatest Urdu poets of this ...
, based on the
terrorism in Punjab
Terrorism in India, according to the Home Ministry, poses a significant threat to the people of India. Compared to other countries, India faces a wide range of terror groups. Terrorism found in India includes Islamic terrorism, separatist ...
. The film did reasonably well at the box office and got him noticed by all the top filmmakers in the industry, which led him to being cast in
Aditya Chopra's Mohabbatein
''Mohabbatein'' () is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film that was written and directed by Aditya Chopra and produced by Yash Chopra of Yash Raj Films. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Aishwarya Rai, and newc ...
alongside stalwarts like
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...
,
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...
, and
Aishwarya Rai. He has consistently won rave reviews for all his performances in films such as ''
Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai'' (2002), ''
Dil Hai Tumhaara'' (2002), ''
Haasil'' (2003), ''
Munna Bhai MBBS'' (2003), ''
Yahaan'' (2005), ''
Lage Raho Munnabhai
''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' (; ) is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language satirical comedy drama film written, edited and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, who co-wrote the screenplay with Abhijat Joshi and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It is the follow- ...
'' (2006), ''
Eklavya: The Royal Guard'' (2007), ''
A Wednesday!
''A Wednesday!'' is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language thriller film written and directed by Neeraj Pandey and produced by Ronnie Screwvala, Anjum Rizvi and Shital Bhatia under UTV Motion Pictures and Friday Filmworks. Though a work of fiction, th ...
'' (2008), ''
My Name is Khan
''My Name Is Khan'', is a 2010 social drama film directed by Karan Johar and written by Shibani Bathija and lyricist Niranjan Iyengar. It was produced by Hiroo Yash Johar and Gauri Khan under their production companies, Dharma Productions ...
'' (2010), ''
Tanu Weds Manu
''Tanu Weds Manu'' is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama by Aanand L. Rai, and produced by Shailesh R Singh. It stars R. Madhavan, Kangana Ranaut, Jimmy Sheirgill, Eijaz Khan, Swara Bhaskar and Deepak Dobriyal. The story o ...
'' (2011), ''
Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster'' (2011), ''
Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns'' (2013), ''
Special 26'' (2013), ''
Bullett Raja'' (2013), ''
Fugly'' (2014) and ''
Tanu Weds Manu Returns'' (2015). He also worked with rising star of the time
Amisha Patel in ''
Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar
''Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar'' () is a 2001 Bollywood romantic drama film, directed by Tanuja Chandra and produced by Mukesh Bhatt. The film stars Jimmy Sheirgill and Ameesha Patel. The film released on November 16, 2001.
Synopsis
20-year-old S ...
'' (2001). He won the ''
Star Guild Awards'' previously known as Apsara guild awards for Best Actor In A Supporting Role for a movie ''