It's only performance that matters to him..

This is not the first time that he is being quizzed on his startling resemblance to Hollywood actor Barry Pepper. And this is certainly not his first answer to the query.

Jimmy Sheirgill acknowledges that he is aware of comparisons looks wise, and reacts, “I’ve never
really looked at it that closely. Maybe, I’ll look into it sometime.”

As of now, all his time is being taken up by work — read Karan Johar’s My Name Is Khan. “I’ve
completed one schedule of the film and the next leg will be shot in the US,” confirms the actor, adding that he had always wanted to work with Karan. “There are certain film-makers you have heard about, but never got the chance to work with. It’s for the sake of this experience of being part of a Karan Johar film —- a director who’s known for his grandeur, drama and emotions onscreen,” he explains.

With the film being touted as the Next Big Thing in Bollywood, buzz is that Jimmy has replaced Aamir Bashir in it. Jimmy says, “I don’t know that. In fact, I’ve come to know about it from media reports. I was abroad and when I came back to Mumbai, Karan’s production house got in touch with me.” The dates were worked out, the script sent and he “just loved it”.

The actor also loved getting to work with King Khan again, post-Mohabbatein. “It was long overdue... Almost a gap of 10 years,” he says, while showering praises on SRK. “He is a wonderful human being and very caring too. I remember, during the shooting of Mohabbatein, he was almost like an elder brother to me,” Jimmy reminisces.

Apart from the KJo project, the actor has just canned the shots for Shoojit Sircar’s Johnny Mastana, which also boasts of Dia Mirza, Sarika and Big B. “ I play a henpecked husband,” Jimmy reveals, and adds that post My Name Is Khan, he will be doing Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s production, which is “titled Crooked as of now.” He has also blocked his dates for a Shoojit Sircar production after that.

Bollywood’s surely keeping him busy, but Jimmy has stuck to his itinerary of doing at least one Punjabi film a year. And two of his recent Punjabi releases have turned out to be blockbusters. “I do these film with a lot of passion and make sure that it’s clean entertainment,” quips Jimmy, adding that the difference between the Punjabi and Bollywood audience will merge soon. And with the stupendous success of his Punjabi films, Jimmy is being touted as a bankable star in the Punjabi film industry. One wonders if he would want a similar designation in Bollywood too.

“That would be every actor’s dream. But everything happens at the time when it’s destined to happen. For me, each character is a challenge and I need to make sure that I essay the role correctly,” contends the actor. After all, as he points out, he is an actor and “it’s my job to entertain”.

As Posted in TOI