Jim Sarbh has found himself playing characters based on real historical figures more often than not. In his upcoming show, Made in India: A Titan Story, he plays Titan Watches founder Xerxes Desai. In a candid chat, Jim opens up about playing the entrepreneur, his career, and more.
Xerxes Desai, a protege of JRD Tata, was instrumental in creating India’s premier watchmaking industry through Titan. Jim reveals he wore no wig to look like the balding Desai, instead shaving half his head every morning. He jokes, “The regular life was a bit tough. Hats, all the time.”
Jim’s last big web series was Rocket Boys, another period drama in which he played a real-life figure, Homi J. Bhabha. He notes that 80-90% of his work is playing real people, which he finds bizarre.
Despite his ‘expertise’ in playing real-life characters, Jim has no set process or template for approaching such roles. He explains, “I try to treat it based on the script and what the character’s function is based on the overall story.”
Made in India: A Titan Story also stars Naseeruddin Shah as JRD Tata, along with a large ensemble cast. It begins streaming on Amazon MX Player from June 3.
