Remembering Farooq Sheikh
Actor Farooq Sheikh died of a heart attack in Dubai on Dec 27. He was 65. One of the most respected names in both films and theatre, he was enjoying a late career revival in cinema, in which his journey spanned forty years, starting with 1973's Garam Hawa.
A Selection of Articles
PROFILE: Farooque Shaikh - Film ImpressionsTHE MAN WHO COULD SAY 'NO' Last month I sent Farooque Shaikh an impulsive message after watching his latest release Listen Amaya for the ...
- "His apartment is as modest as you can possibly imagine. No frills or the slightest hint of showiness. Somewhere inside I hear a dog bark with excitement. It's a stray his daughter picked off the street and brought home. 'We don't have the dog, the dog has us,' he says with typical irreverence. The same tone extends to vivid descriptions of how he cringes when he watches himself on screen in say, Umrao Jaan –– 'I look like a halwai’s son.'"
An actor and a gentlemanRemembering Farooque Shaikh who gave us some of our finest films and was loved for his gentle, genteel ways. "How does 'is' become 'was' ...- '"How does 'is' become 'was' in the span of a moment?" wonders Sarika, in shock over the news that her Club 60 co-star, Farooque Shaikh, will never greet her again with an adaab, passionately discuss cinema and politics with her and show his appreciation for the sweet tooth they shared by initiating a mithai competition. "He won, but only because of the quantity of sweets he accumulated even though my mithais were better," she reminisces.'
Farooque Shaikh: The choosy, charming man who played 'aam aadmi' heroDeath is rarely predictable or expected, but some times its approach is stealthier than at others. Farooque Shaikh's passing is one of th...- "Shaikh's ability to charm went beyond his college friends. As an actor, he won over both men, women and cinephiles. For men, he was the heartening, more relatable alternative to the glossy glam-doll heroes of commercial Bollywood. Most women melted at how cute he was, and for those who got past his physical appeal, Shaikh was a powerful actor. Look at Shaikh's filmograpy and there's an impressive variety of roles: he's played nawabs, impoverished Romeos, the salaried everyman, and been entirely convincing in most of the roles he accepted."
My world has lost its flavour with Farooque: ShabanaThe last show of Tumhari Amrita was held against the backdrop of the resplendent Taj Mahal in Agra on 14th Dec 2013 to a standing ovation...- "I have a string of his SMSes stored in my cellphone. The last one was on December 24. I had just returned from my village Mijwan and asked if I should send him some rasaval (a porridge made of sugarcane juice and rice) Prompt came his reply, "Neki aur pooch-pooch?" He couldn't get to eat the rasaval because he had left for Dubai for a family vacation and the rasaval lost its flavour... My world too has lost its flavour to a great extent, Farooque, dear friend, with your departure..."
Farooque Shaikh: The big pictureI grew up in luxurious surroundings: I was born on March 25, 1948, in a village near Baroda as the eldest of five children. My father, Mu...- "I have never been commercially viable: People recognise me, smile and wave at me —but I have never received marriage proposals written in blood. In his heyday, when Rajesh Khanna drove down a street, the traffic stopped —I don't mind not receiving this kind of adulation. But I do miss not having been able to command the kind of work I wanted. I miss not being 100 per cent commercially viable."
Twitter Tributes
Shocked, deeply saddened to hear of death of Farooq Shaikh. The world loses his gentleness,goodness and superb talent. #RIP #Farooqsahab
