As everyone was preparing to welcome the New Year
2014, there came sad news 'Farooq Sheikh passed away!' He was in Dubai (UAE)
when he had a cardiac arrest. He took his last breath in Sheikh Rashid
Hospital, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
I had
an opportunity to meet him personally during one of his outdoor film shoots in
Delhi, India and I still remember the day when I met him.
He
looked the same that time just like he was at the age of 65. He was reading his
book (he loved reading!), while the shot was getting ready. When people
approached him for autographs, he obliged them smilingly. Even though he
belonged to an affluent family, he never showed it off. Very nice, gentle and
down-to-earth!
With
his magnetic personality and the acting skills he portrayed, undoubtedly he was
the poster boy of parallel Cinema or you can say poster boy of common people
(Aam Aadmi). In fact, he could give blushes to the poster boys of mainstream
cinema! It is extremely difficult to fill the void he left.
About Farooq Sheikh’s professional life
He was an Indian actor, philanthropist and a popular
television presenter. He was best known for his work in Hindi films from 1977
to 1989 and for his work in television between 1988 and 2002. He returned to
acting in films in 2008 and continued to do so until his death on 27 December
2013.
He had worked with directors
like Satyajit Ray, Muzaffar Ali, Ketan Mehta and Hrishikesh Mukherjee,
among others.
He won the 2010 National
Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for Lahore. Some of his
famous movies are : Garam Hawa, Shatranj ke Khiladi, Gaman, Noorie, Umrao Jaan,
Chashme Baddoor, Saath-Saath, Bazaar, Katha, Rang Birangi, Biwi Ho to Aisi and
Shanghai.
Just few days prior to his death I had a chance
to watch his recent movie ‘Club 60’. If you haven’t seen it, do make it a point
that you don’t miss it. Look at his acting and you’ll come to know of his greatness.
By the way, there is a dialogue in this movie
(Club 60), where he says ‘I have learnt how to live.’ Do I need to say more?
By : Rajesh Nagpal, India
