Jim Sarbh On Fame, Film Hierarchies & Protecting His Peace | Cover Star | THR India

Sneha Menon Desai sits down with Jim Sarbh for Cover Star on The Hollywood Reporter India as he marks ten years since his film debut in Neerja. Jim looks back on the intensity of that first set, the film hierarchies he still struggles to understand after coming from theatre, and the challenges of fame, privacy and personal boundaries. From Rocket Boys to Made in India: A Titan Story, he explains why he seeks variety in his roles, how he approached playing Homi J. Bhabha and Xerxes Desai differently, and what each project has taught him about the camera.

He also reflects on working with Naseeruddin Shah, whose command of framing and performance continues to astonish him, and why rehearsing Hindi dialogue gives him the freedom to respond instinctively in a scene. Away from the screen, Jim talks about an ambition increasingly centred on protecting his peace, his idea of an unproductive Sunday, and what he is like in love. He questions the gap between carefully managed public personas and the demand for authenticity, explains why he feels his views on method acting have been oversimplified, and reflects on the coexistence of confidence and insecurity. The conversation closes with the contrasting worlds of Mira Nair's Amri and Atlee's Raaka: the collaborative atmosphere of a period drama and the scale, sets and new experiences of a science-fiction production.