360˚Me: Jim Sarbh

Jim Sarbh’s star has been rising ever since his first feature film debut in biographical drama, Neerja, in 2016. This year, the actor has moved to Juhu, travelled to Sundance with his short film, Sometimes, I Think About Dying and is finally coming off a hectic shooting schedule. He shares the cultural touchstones that inspire him.

The Book

‘Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut stayed with me for many reasons. It’s sci-fi but steeped in human drama, conflict and has a fairly out-of-place, nonunderstanding male protagonist who’s buffeted about by all kinds of things. There’s also the treatment of time – I’ve never been able to forget that.’

The Film

‘I was obsessed with films when I was a kid. Not just films, but TV and acting – it’s the storytelling I love. Both my grandparents were great storytellers. Lynne Ramsey’s films are great. She’s fearless and unafraid to make her characters unsympathetic. At the moment I’m in the mood for Edgar Wright’s irreverent, highly stylised action comedies.’ 

The Look

‘My personal style is a loose T-shirt or short-sleeved shirt, with a pair of well-fitting jeans and all-black Converse sneakers. I'm quite grungy in my regular life. If I need to dress up, I like Gucci, Ermenegildo Zegna and Khanijo. And Dhruv Kapoor, who made me something so beautiful for the red carpet recently.’

The Hero

‘As far as a person whose world I’m a part of, it would have to be Naseeruddin Shah. He is an incredible, sensitive and wonderful actor who straddles all the genres. He's also effortless in his style, speaks his mind and seems unafraid.’

The Routine

‘When it comes to waking up before work, I wake up as late as humanely possible to get to work on time. I hate doing anything in the morning, I’m a night owl. First thing, I avoid people and drink coffee. I like Indian bean coffees, like Blue Tokai and Koinonia Roasters.’

The Retox

‘I’m into gin and there are so many good ones on the market. Stranger & Sons is a great one from Goa and there’s The Botanist, which is delicious. I'll drink with friends at home with a little soda and some nimbu (lemon).’

The Interior

‘I'm staying at a friend's bungalow in Juhu at the moment and it's brilliant. There's a garden, a roof where we grow vegetables and it's a two-minute walk from the beach. I have two masks that I bought in Guatemala — one is an antelope with its tongue out and one is a skull that looks like Basquiat – which give all my places a feeling of home.’

Jim Sarbh is starring in Teen Aur Adha, available now on Netflix. Follow Sarbh on Instagram @jimsarbhforreal