6 minutes of readingBombayFebruary 3, 2026 07:14 pm IST
Actor jason shahRemembered for his role as Officer Cartwright in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi, he will be seen in Vijay Thalapathy’s latest film Jana Nayagan. While the film’s release date is still unclear, Jason is happy to be a part of something so historic. In a recent conversation with SCREEN, Jason Shah spoke about working with Bobby Deol and ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay in the film. Jason expressed his strong disapproval of the fact that violent films like Toxic and Dhurandhar were loved.
Talking about being a part of Vijay Thalapathy’s latest film Jana Nayagan, Jason said, “It is truly a blessing to be a part of the story. This is a time when the world is changing, and for a man like Vijay Thalapathy to depart at one of the peaks of his career is something. The love from his fans is incredible. He is one of the superstars of the South, and I feel blessed to be a part of a film with him.” He even talked about sharing screen space with Bobby Deol and remembers being amazed. “Bobby is incredible. He came up to me and said he appreciated your work in Heeramandi, and I didn’t know what to say. A man of his stature and caliber in Bollywood, who is giving back-to-back hits, praised my work; I was impressed. He is down to earth. We had some lovely conversations throughout the shoot; it changed my opinion of him in many ways.”
Jason on the Jana Nayagan controversy
Jana Nayagan has not received clearance from the CBFC, and as the film’s stay order continues, Jason says, “I was very excited when the film released on January 9. I’m not 100 percent sure about the certification as to what happens. I’ve never really fully understood the process; it’s not my department. But religion and politics always have something to do with films. Whoever is elected as the ruling party can decide what happens. Their vote causes these types of decisions, so if you have done “That, then also sit back and be happy.”
“I was surprised to see people enjoying the violence in Dhurandhar”
The Jana Nayagan actor also shared his opinion on how religion and politics influence today’s cinema. He said, “Religion and politics have influenced films a lot not only in India but also around the world. You see all the subliminal messages that are put in films because times have changed, cinema has been an art form that speaks to people, connects with them, so if films don’t evolve, people may lose interest. However, I feel the innocence of films has been lost. Would everyone go to see Partner today? I don’t think so. People want to see “So much violence. I was watching the trailer for Toxic, which shows people where our minds as producers have evolved.”
He further added, “I was surprised to see people enjoying the violence in Dhurandhar. Parents took their young children to see the film. But then again, Dhurandhar was related to politics; it was a story about something that happened in India, a very serious topic, and people like to see other people’s opinions on what they have created on this topic.”
’90 percent of industry players are insecure’
In an earlier interview, Jason had made a strong statement about Bollywood actors. He said 90 percent of them are unsafe. Explaining further why he said that, Jason shared: “I say this from experience, I work with actors all the time, so I say that 90 percent of them are very insecure. That’s the way it is. It’s not just actors, but everyone has become so insecure about what they do; that’s where the hate comes from. People don’t believe enough in their craft or their talent. People don’t believe in their craft or their talent enough. They’re like, “Other, so the other person quits.” All of this happens, it happens to actors. and everyone else alike.”
He further said, “Look at someone like Akshaye Khanna, where was he for so long? He was where he chose to be; it didn’t bother him if someone said he wasn’t working hard enough or that he wasn’t in the newspaper every day. He works whenever he wants, and he does it very well, and that’s why he is remembered for that. People in the industry then say that no doubt he has always been a fantastic actor, but why hasn’t he worked as hard? Because he didn’t want to. I heard him say once in an interview that if he doesn’t connect with a movie, he doesn’t. I also liked him in Drishyam 2.
On the work front, Jason Shah has three more Telugu films in the pipeline. He will also appear in Amazon Prime’s upcoming web series Revolutionary.
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