It's not every day that you get to pay tribute to your idol; to the King of Pop! Naturally so, we seemed to sense traces of both composure and restlessness in Tiger Shroff when we met him on a cloudy Sunday afternoon in Koregaon Park, ahead of his special tribute performance to Michael Jackson on his eighth death anniversary (June 25). Tiger is all set to play a reel-life MJ fan in his upcoming film Munna Michael . In a freewheeling chat with Pune Times, he also opens up about nepotism, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and more. Excerpts...I couldn't believe it. How could MJ die? How could someone so immortal, so invincible be no more? These were questions that went through my mind. That day, I was also very angry at many people, for misunderstanding and accusing him of so many things. I wanted to get back at all of them. It's because I knew MJ well, and loved him so much. It's unfortunate that towards the end of his life, people looked only at his negatives and forgot about his genius, his philanthropic efforts and all that he accomplished. Even today, his songs have messages that resonate with people the world over.It wasn't easy at all, especially since I was preparing to pay tribute to the King of Pop. There can be only one king. But the least I could do was work hard enough to get somewhere close to what he was.My character is a dedicated MJ fan. He's a noble and determined man, but doesn't channelise his talent in the right direction at first. MJ serves as a theme in the film, brought out through the choreography. For me, it wasn't difficult getting into character since I am a MJ fan in real life too. It would have been great though if MJ was alive to see this.If there's something Nawazji has taught me, it is how to be composed. He can face the camera with so much ease. I marvel at how he works with silences, with subtext, between the lines. He is a real encyclopedia of acting. There's so much I got to learn from him. About tips, he never used to share any secrets (laughs), but I never asked him for tips either. I'm sure many might have done that before, so I'd ask him about his family. But I used to also quietly observe him from the corner; how he would prepare for the scene and get into character so effortlessly.Well, it's easier, but tough as well. Easier, because you have a wide-reaching platform that allows you to express yourself. But the world is also very judgmental, which makes it tough. People just put you down or write you off. You really need to believe in yourself and have confidence in your abilities.I don't think that statement is entirely wrong. As star kids, we do have it easier initially when it comes to getting noticed, but that does not mean we don't go through the grind. There's double the pressure than what an outsider would face. People seem to believe that we get everything on a silver platter, but that's not the case. There are a select few of us who make it through. As for me, I am blessed to be my father's son, but I'm also very egoistic. I don't want to be known as Jackie Shroff ka beta. Rather, I want him to be known as Tiger Shroff ka dad.

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