Shiv Shastri Balboa: Ahead of release, Jugal Hansraj shares a picture from shoot diaries

Still fondly remembered as the little boy from the iconic 1983 film Masoom, Jugal Hansraj’s latest movie Shiv Shastri Balboa is all set to hit the theatres tomorrow (February 10). Written and directed by Ajayan Venugopalan, the comedy drama film also stars Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta, Nargis Fakhri and Sharib Hashmi, among others. Ahead of the movie’s release, Jugal has shared a quick glimpse from the shoot diaries.      

Taking to his Instagram account, the actor - who’ll be seen in the role of Rahul Shastri in Shiv Shastri Balboa - posted a candid shot from the set, featuring Anupam, Neena, Sharib and himself. “Break time on the sets of ‘Shiv Shastri Balboa’. Just two days to go! #ShivShastriBalboa Releasing on 10th February in cinemas only!”, Jugal captioned the picture. 

The plot revolves around Shiv Shastri, a pensioner from India who has just moved to the US. He is a big fan of John G Avildsen-directed 1976 American sports drama film Rocky, which starred Sylvester Stallone. As the story progresses, Shiv unexpectedly embarks on a road trip through the American heartland, and realises that it’s never too old to reinvent yourself. The narrative touches upon cultural stigma, undocumented immigration, grit and racism, and how a man’s passion for cinema can overcome it all.  

Jugal was last seen as Rishi’s father in Mismatched - a coming-of-age romantic drama web series on Netflix. Before that, he appeared as Mohit Dewan in Sujoy Ghosh’s 2016 thriller film Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh, starring Vidya Balan and Arjun Pampal. 

Apart from acting, Jugal also enjoys singing and is a published author. His first novel for children, titled Cross Connection: The Big Circus Adventure, was launched in December 2017. In Shekhar Kapur’s directorial debut Masoom, he featured alongside Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Supriya Pathak. The award-winning movie also featured Urmila Matondkar and Aradhana as child actors Jugal later acted in other hit films like Papa Kehte Hai (1996) and Mohabbatein (2000).