Filmmaker Subhash Ghai took to Instagram to share a behind-the-scenes still from the sets of his 1983 film Hero, starring Jackie Shroff, Meenakshi Sheshadri, and Shammi Kapoor, among others. The still, which is from the film's production in 1982, features Subhash with Jackie, Meenakshi, and Sanjeev Kumar. "None of us was expecting our film would run for 75 weeks in Tamil state in Chennai with 50 weeks golden jubilee in 24 centres all India with new faces," wrote the filmmaker. He went on to add, "We were just collaborating with our full dedication to make a good commercial film."
Subhash Ghai also praised the flute theme from the action romance film, which he says "still resounds even in DISCOS today."
Hero marked Jackie Shroff's debut as a leading man in cinema, although he made a cameo appearance in actor-director Dev Anand's 1982 film Swami Dada. The film stars him as a goon who abducts a commissioner's (Shammi Kapoor) daughter (Meenakshi) following the imprisonment of his boss (Amrish Puri). However, Jackie's goon forms a romantic relationship with Meenakshi's character.
Interestingly, Subhash Ghai recently regarded the version of Jackie Shroff from Hero as a "bad actor". In a conversation with Arbaaz Khan's talk show, titled The Invincibles, the filmmaker revealed that Jackie would stress over anything he told him back in the day. However, Subhash said that he cast Jackie in Hero as he suited the specific role. The director also disclosed that he realised Jackie's potential to grow and that the actor became good over time.