New Delhi: For 41-year-old Sangay Tsheltrim, reality has still not sunk in. The Bhutanese actor and ex-army official, whose role in Atlee’s latest movie Jawan has earned him endless love, sometimes stands in front of his mirror and asks himself: “Is this real? Or am I still dreaming?” His phone has not stopped buzzing with social media notifications as people in India and Bhutan send love and appreciation for his role in the movie. Tsheltrim is giving multiple interviews in a day and soaking in the success of the Shah Rukh Khan starrer.
“I want to capitalise on the opportunity I have got and learn ideas and filmmaking. [I want to] use that knowledge to serve my country — by making good films and entertaining them,” he says.
On 7 September, when Jawan released to the biggest opening in Bollywood, Tsheltrim shared a photo with Shah Rukh Khan on X (formerly Twitter), captioning it: “Beyond my dreams. An honour to share screen with King Khan.” The post has gotten more than 25,000 likes. During Jawan shooting, SRK didn’t get to see Tsheltrim’s face for the first few days he was on set — the Bhutanese actor had a mask on for the metro sequence. On the fifth day, when Shah Rukh finally saw his face, he exclaimed: “Arey Juju, you have such a nice face. You are so handsome,” according to Tsheltrim.
The actor who made his Bollywood debut in 2021 with the Salman Khan-starrer Radhe, is still processing the incredible journey he has had so far.
Singye to Jawan
While Tsheltrim’s popularity is still picking up in India, back home in Bhutan, he is a household name. His first film Singye (2018) was a blockbuster and bagged four awards at the 18th National Film Awards in Bhutan. Singye is an action thriller, where Tsheltrim plays an honest police officer who will stop at nothing to end the illegal drug trade in Bhutan — much like Singham in Rohit Shetty’s 2011 film.
Tsheltrim bagged the award for the best debut actor (male) and became the country’s first action hero. His next film, Lingpoen, was released on 12 March 2023. Tsheltrim also turned producer with it, as he launched his company, Sangay Tsheltrim Films.
He also starred in the film Rohingya-People From Nowhere (2020) as a special Indian task force officer, Major Arun. The film traces the love story between a Rohingya girl, Husnaara, and Arjun in the world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. “The thing I admire the most in Sangay is his dedication. He didn’t speak Hindi at all initially, but he picked it very quickly and could soon emote in it. Even on sets, he is very focused and will devote himself completely to work,” says Haider Khan, director of Rohingya.
Then came the big breakthrough.
While planning for Lingpoem in 2021, he got a call from the office of casting director Mukesh Chhabra for Jawan. “I did not take it seriously because I thought it was a small role,” Tsheltrim recalls with a laugh. But a member of Chhabra’s team convinced him, and he decided to take up the role.
Army to body building to films
Tsheltrim has many achievements to his credit. He was the youngest officer in the country to become a part of the Royal Bodyguard of Bhutan, an elite task force in charge of the security of the king and other members of the royal family. He also owns one of the biggest gyms in Bhutan, Thimphu Muscle Factory.
Though he retired early from the army in 2013, Tsheltrim, then 31, had a distinguished career in the military. “I was in awe of the army uniform [while] growing up. So, when I passed school, I decided to join in,” he says. He was commissioned into the Royal Bhutan Army in December 2005, and soon after, he became part of the elite Royal Bodyguards. In the regular army for two-and-a-half years, he was deployed along the northern borders of China and Bhutan. In March 2008, he was sent to perform close protection duties for former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a temporary basis. It was during this time he caught the eye of the deputy commandant of Royal Bodyguards and then got recruited in June 2008.
Tsheltrim credits the beginning of his bodybuilding career to his king, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. Being a skinny kid for most of his life, Tsheltrim never thought he would build the kind of physique he currently has. It started slow, during his training days and was disrupted when he took on the demanding job of the royal guard. A fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tsheltrim was determined to give it a shot. So he joined a gym and started working out, keeping an eye on his nutrition. It caught the eye of the king, who encouraged his interest in bodybuilding even as Tsheltrim’s wife and grandmother were troubled by his decision to leave a lucrative job and the stability it offered.
In 2013, Tsheltrim hung up his army boots to focus on bodybuilding full-time, with the blessings of the king. In October 2015, he won the first gold medal for his country at the Asian level, having participated regularly in the previous years to achieve peak physical fitness.
But Tsheltrim knew it was not a sustainable career — it was too demanding on his body. And as luck would have it, he met photographer-director Haider Khan for a photoshoot in Bhutan.
Haider would later direct him in Rohingya and Lingpoen, and also lead Tsheltrim to bag his first Bollywood role as Lota in Radhe.
A nervous encounter with Salman
Tsheltrim grew up watching Bollywood in the border town of Zhemgang. A good dancer, he loved Salman and Shah Rukh Khan films like Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), Darr (1993), Baazigar (1993), and Karan Arjun (1995), among others. But he did not imagine that one day, he would act next to the two biggest stars of Bollywood.
Tsheltrim admires the kind-hearted Salman, while he declares that Shah Rukh is a gentleman through and through. The quality that he admires the most about SRK is his willingness to learn from anybody. “I saw Vijay Sethupathi give suggestions about a few scenes and he took it. He is also ready to teach whatever he learns,” Tsheltrim says. “It is the way he treats everybody, making sure to ask after everyone, including the junior artistes.”
In his first meeting with Salman, Tsheltrim was extremely nervous. When he finally met the superstar, Salman asked him if he wanted tea or food. When he refused, Salman then asked if he wanted a protein shake, recalls an amused Tsheltrim. They talked for an hour, and Tsheltrim soon left, not knowing that he would get a call in a few months to act alongside Salman.
On the set of Jawan, he was welcomed warmly by both Atlee and Shah Rukh. “On the very first day, Shah Rukh Khan met me and said, ‘Thank you for taking up this role’. It really touched my heart,” says Tsheltrim.
The goal’s clear
Tsheltrim has always shared a deep relationship with India, especially Assam. He is currently in talks for an Assamese film in Guwahati this year. Singye, the first Indo-Bhutanese project, was made by talented filmmakers from Assam — from editor, associate editor, production designer, art designer, to sound designer and first assistant cameraperson.
Kenny Basumatary, an Assamese director and actor, who also features in Jawan, had dubbed Tsheltrim’s Rohingya in Hindi. Tsheltrim was initially unaware of Kenny being a part of Jawan. “We spent a lot of time together on the set after shooting,” he says.
Even as he soaks in the adulation and love for his work, Tsheltrim is focused only on serving his country and the king who has always backed his passion. “He has expressed his pride at the fact that I have worked with Bollywood and continues to support me,” he says. Tsheltrim is taking Lingpoen for screenings for the Bhutanese community on 1 September. His goal is clear — make his king and country proud.
(Edited by Humra Laeeq)