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Jagdeep Bollywood icon is no more

By Fasih Uddin Khan

Jadeep whose real name was Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jeffrey was born on the 29 March 1939 to his father; Syed Yawar Husain Jafri and his mother Kaneez Hyder in Datia, Madhya Pradesh, Central Provinces, British India. (He was also known as Jagdeep, referring to his stage name once he got involved within the industry).

When he was still an infant, his father died and this caused the family’s income and financial state to decline. During this period, the partition of India was happening too. Due to these circumstances, Jagdeep’s mother decided to move to Mumbai in hope for a better future for her kids.

To support her kids, Jagdeep’s mother worked as a cook in an orphanage. Despite the idea of his mum working to pay for his schooling fees, he gave up school altogether and resorted to selling small items on the street to make some money. Little did he know, this small decision would lead to him being known as one of the best cinema personalities in India.

A director had spotted him selling the small stuff on the side of the road and offered him a role in the film “Afsana” in which he debuted as a child actor and his character stole the heart of Bollywood fans. Initially, the only role he had in the movie was to clap but he later ended up speaking dialogue which doubled his initial remuneration.

As a child artist, he continued to make an appearance on several other movies which included the titles; “Ab Dilli Door Nahin”, “Munna”, “Aar Paar”, ‘Do Bigha Zamin” and “Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke”. Jagdeep’s performance in “Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke” impressed the - then - Prime Minister; Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. As a token of appreciation, Jagdeep was gifted Nehru’s personal staff. As a lead actor, Jagdeep’s first debut film was “Bhabi” in which he starred in in 1957. Other films he subsequently worked on included; “Barkhaa”, “Teen Bahuraniyan” and “Bidaai”.

Alongside his career as an actor, he was also a comedian and debuted as one in “Do Bigha Zameen” which was released in 1954 and then continued appearing in several other movies as comical roles. The comedic traits which were portrayed through Jagdeep’s many characters on screen and which made him be loved by many as well as helped him stand out from the rest of the comedians were; his comical personality, big smiles on screen, his unique voice and facial expressions that were displayed when he was playing a character.

The Bollywood film “Sholay” where Jagdeep played the role as Soorma Bhoplai, was when his career really shot up, bringing his name to fame. Ironically, he had actually denied taking this role, but it was actually the role which helped him get recognised. Inspired by all this, in 1988 Jagdeep directed his own film which was known as “Soorma Bhopali” and was based on the character he had played in “Sholay”.

After directing his own movie, he continued to star in many others. The last film in which he starred in before his death was “Gali Gali Chor Hai” which was released in 2012 where Jagdeep took up the character of a police constable.

At the age of 18, Jagdeep got married to his first wife; Naseem and had his first son Hussein Jaffrey who unfortunately passed away in 2009 due to a throat infection as well as having lost his legs in 2006 due to a train accident.

However, his other two sons from his second wife Sughra continued to pursue careers within the film and creative arts industry where Naved Jeffrey is known as an actor as well as a TV judge and Javed Jeffrey who is also not only an actor but also a dancer and comedian. From his first wife he also had two daughters; Shakira Shafi and Suraiya Jaffrey and from his third wife, Nazima, he had one daughter; Muskaan.

He had a total of three sons and three daughters and despite them being from different mothers, he loved all of them equally.

The famous Indian Veteran actor, Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jeffrey, had a career which spanned around over six decades as well as having starred in over 400 films. The first debut as a lead actor which stole the hearts of the Bollywood industry was when he starred in the film “Afsana”. His profession consisted of both acting as well as comedy and portrayed both aspects throughout various appearances on screen. The last movie he was in was released in 2012.

His died on 8 July 2020 at the age of 81 due to health-related problems. He may not be with us anymore, but his legacy continues as he will always be remembered for his comedic roles and comical personality within the Bollywood Film Industry.

Irrfan Khan

By Fasih Uddin Khan

FasihUddinKhan migrated to Australia in 1996. An IT professional for more than a decade. Has keen interest in serving community which is close to his heart. Associated and served with number of communities, literary, social and educational organizations. A board member of an Independent Private High School in Sydney. Currently a member of International Advisory Committee of Aligarh Muslim University. Has represented community activities & issues on radio.