Remember Champ From Jalwa? Dalip Tahil Calls His Role ‘A Phase’ As Film Turns 39

Bollywood actor Dalip Tahil has portrayed authoritative, wealthy, and sometimes conniving on-screen characters over a career spanning more than four decades. Besides appearing in several complex roles, the veteran star had once amazed the audience with his stint as the character ‘Champ’ in the movie Jalwa. Now, he revisited the movie and wrote some heartwarming words about it.

On Instagram, Dalip Tahil shared a video alongside the background score of “You Broke My Heart”. The clip features the veteran star reminiscing about his 1987 film Jalwa to mark its 39th anniversary. Taking a walk down memory lane, he also recalled his menacing character, Champ, which had then garnered immense praise.

Dalip Tahil On His Iconic Character ‘Champ’

The 73-year-old

shared the video with a short caption that read, “It was a phase… #39YearsOfJalwa,” offering a delightful touch to his career-defining performances in the late 1980s.

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A post shared by Dalip Tahil (@daliptahil)

Champ was a confident and street-smart character. The flashy ensembles, hand gestures and swag moves shown by the character on-screen catapulted Tahil’s career to its heights. Undoubtedly, it became one of the memorable “phases” in his career.

Internet’s Reaction To Dalip Tahil’s Post

The video soon garnered immense praise from social media users. One fan wrote, “Sir had the rizz when rizz wasn’t even a word.” FYI: Rizz is a Gen Z word for charisma. Another person shared, “U da real jalwa.” A comment read, “Uncle Ji is the GOAT.”

Someone mentioned, “You are the real OG.” “Dalip sahab’s prime,” said a fan. One more fan shared, “I want to be this cool when I get old.”

More About Jalwa

Directed by Pankuj Parashar, the film stars Naseeruddin Shah (as Inspector Kapil) and Archana Puran Singh (as Jojo) in the lead. It follows Kapil’s story, who lost his brother due to drugs and became a police officer.

After his friend Albert (played by Pankaj Kapur) dies, Kapil sets out to find the truth. However, he faces opposition from local police and several other challenges before finally completing his goal. Dalip Tahil’s Champ served as a henchman for the film’s primary antagonist, DD (portrayed by Tejeshwar Singh), blocking Kapil’s goal by all means.

Jalwa is an unofficial remake of the 1984 American film Beverly Hills Cop and was remade in Telugu as Trinetrudu in 1988 by A. Kodandarami Reddy, starring Chiranjeevi.

On the work front, Dalip Tahil was last seen in Kuberaa, released in June 2025.