Jackie Shroff appears to be making his way back to meaty roles. The actor was recently announced as the face of a keynote international project - the official Slow Joe biopic. Set to be a global production being bankrolled across Singapore, France and India, Shroff will be directed in the film by French filmmaker, Sandrine Bonnaire. But, who is Slow Joe to begin with?

Who is Slow Joe?

Slow Joe is the official stage name of late Indian musician Joseph Manuel Da Rocha. Slow Joe had a rough start to his life, a spell that did not seem to break right up until his 50s. Born in Mumbai, Slow Joe eventually went on to become a heroine addict and a drug dealer. With a broken heart at 50 years of age, he moved to Goa, to try and redeem his life.

In 2007 during a trip to Goa, Lyon-based French musician Cédric de la Chapelle, met Joe, then 64-years of age. At the time, Joe was trying to get by, working as a hotel room broker. It was during this chance encounter that Joe ended up singing for Chapelle, who, rather impressed, ended up recording some of his a capella songs to play it back to music producer Olivier Boccon-Gibod of Horizon Musiques, who was equally mesmerised.

Slow Joe's redemption arch

Over multiple visits to Goa, Chapelle then helped set up music group Slow Joe & The Ginger Accident. The group played their songs for Jean-Louis Brossard, director of the Transmusicales, one of the biggest French music festivals. The group went on to play at the 2009 Transmusicales, becoming an overnight success. In 2011, their first album, Sunny Side Up was released, and received rave reviews.

This gave way to sell-out tours of France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium and India. Their second album, Lost for Love came out in 2014. Slow Joe passed away in May of 2013, of a fatal heart attack. His third album, Let Me Be Gone, was released posthumously in 2017.