Jeet strikes a pose outside his one-time refuge Sathi Co-operative Housing Society in Andheri, Mumbai. On July 28, a small crowd gathered outside its gate. Girls and boys whipped out their phones to take pictures of and with the person who had materialised in front of the gate of Sathi. Jeet was all smiles

In 1996, Jeet took a train to Mumbai and moved into Andheri’s Sathi Co-operative Housing Society. He was there as a tenant for the first two years of his five-year stay in Mumbai. And then his life changed from Sathi to Saathi — his Tollywood debut in 2002. “What a coincidence! There’s a reason for everything that happens! Sathi turned out to be lucky for me. Which is why I keep coming back to this place. I started out from this society, and it is clear from everything that there is a connect,” smiled Jeet. He shared a few Mumbai moments and memories, only with t2...

In 1996, my friend Nirmal and I decided that we would go to Mumbai and try our luck in movies and serials and make our careers. Nirmal, who was a little well-acquainted with the city, arrived in Mumbai before me to make the arrangements. We needed a place that was in Andheri and close to our work area, and that’s how I ended up in Sathi.

I didn’t think of this connection (the name) when my first Bengali film Saathi came out. Later on, when I looked back and analysed things, I figured this out. What a coincidence!

I’ve an emotional connect with this place. The friends I made there showed a positive attitude. We were together through good times and bad. Somehow these friends and associates help me stay grounded and I can stay connected to my roots.

Later on, I started living on my own in Goregaon. There I had a very disciplined lifestyle. Woke up in the morning, made breakfast, visited the production houses, went out for auditions, and then work out in the evenings.

I share a few similarities with my character in Boss like the approach, the self-belief, confidence and attitude.

FLASHBACK

The residents of Sathi come out to greet Jeet. “Jeet bhaiya, aap hero ban gaye,” gushes Amit, who was 13 when Jeet stayed in room number B-12. “He would listen to songs from Maachis,” recalls Amit.

“Jeetu bhaiya, kuch chai-thanda peeyenge,” asks Nirmala, from B-14. “Sirf paani peeyenge,” answers Jeet. “It is great to have you here,” says Nirmala. Her son Aditya, who is in Class VII, has a question for Jeet. “What’s your next film?” he asks. “Do you have Internet? Then type ‘Boss Bengali film’,” smiles Jeet.

Soon, images from the trailer of Boss fill the computer screen, and Aditya watches agog.

break point

Cinematographer Arif and Shabana of Sathi room number B-19 with Jeet. “We would watch cricket matches on television here. All my phone calls from home would come here,” says Jeet. “This society is lucky for you,” grins Arif. Jeet agrees. He got lucky 16 years ago. “Prahlad Kakkar was shooting a Pepsi ad at Bandstand with Kim Sharma,” says Arif, who was the assistant there. The male model for the ad hadn’t turned up. “I was passing by on my bike,” says Jeet. “Prahlad asked, ‘Who’s that? Ask him if he’ll act’,” grins Arif. And Jeet got selected. “The scene had Kim Sharma with tears rolling down her eyes after having a phuchka. And I tell her to have a Pepsi! The shoot was over in half an hour! The scene was part of a montage sequence. The ad, which had Shah Rukh Khan and Indian cricketers in it, gave me a lot of visibility. People started to recognise me because of the ad. I got Rs 500 for it!” remembers Jeet.

Text: Arindam Chatterjee