Gulzar's
critically
acclaimed
political
thriller
Maachis
clocks
25
years
today
(October
25,
2021).
The
film
marked
the
Bollywood
debut
of
Jimmy
Sheirgill
who
essayed
the
role
of
Jaimal
Singh.
In
his
new
interaction
with
Hindustan
Times,
the
Mohabbatein
actor
has
opened
up
on
the
film
completing
this
milestone
and
how
he
bagged
his
debut
movie.
Jimmy
revealed
that
he
had
dropped
by
at
Gulzar's
office
hoping
to
get
the
job
of
an
assistant
director
on
the
film
but
ended
up
bagging
a
role
in
Maachis
instead.
Speaking
about
how
he
landed
up
with
his
debut
movie,
Jimmy
recalled,
"When
he
came
to
know
that
I
attend
acting
classes,
he
asked
me
why
I
wanted
to
get
into
direction.
Then
he
told
me
to
read
the
script
that
was
being
translated
from
Urdu
to
Hindu
by
one
of
his
assistants.
I
finished
reading
it
in
one
go.
Later,
when
he
asked
me
which
character
I
liked
the
most,
I
told
him
Jaimal
Singh
because
both
his
and
my
nickname
is
Jimmy.
He
laughed
and
gave
me
the
part."
The
actor
admitted
that
he
was
intimated
by
directed
by
the
legendary
lyricist-filmmaker
as
he
had
no
prior
experience
in
films.
Jimmy
said,
"I
knew
I
was
in
safe
hands
but
on
the
other
hand,
I
felt
the
constant
pressure
of
living
up
to
what
the
scenes
demanded
because
I
had
no
prior
experience
in
films.
I
remember
being
very
nervous
before
my
scenes.
Gulzar
saab
would
casually
come
and
tell
me
how
they
had
to
be
done
and
made
me
go
through
the
lines."
Further,
the
Munna
Bhai
MBBS
actor
said
that
the
film's
box
office
success
came
as
a
shock
and
surprise
to
many
people.
"When
trade
pundits
would
talk
about
Maachis
prior
to
its
release,
they
would
refer
to
it
as
a
middle-of-the-road
or
an
arty
film.
But
it
went
on
to
become
a
commercial
blockbuster.
My
relatives
in
Punjab
would
send
me
pictures
of
tractors,
trolleys
and
trucks
filled
with
people
from
villages
going
to
cinema
halls
in
cities
to
watch
the
film,"
Jimmy
told
the
tabloid.
Maachis
portrays
the
circumstances
surrounding
the
rise
of
the
Sikh
insurgency
in
Punjab
in
the
1980s
and
traces
the
transformation
of
a
youth
from
a
boy
next
door
to
a
dreaded
terrorist
bent
on
wreaking
revenge.
The
film
also
starring
Chandrachur
Singh,
Tabu
and
late
Om
Puri,
had
bagged
two
National
Awards-
one
for
Best
Actress
and
another
for
Best
Popular
Film
Providing
Wholesome
Entertainment.