Farooq Sheikh

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Farooq Sheikh

Sheikh at the 2011 Mirchi Music Awards

Born 25 March 1948

Vadodra, Gujarat, India

Died 28 December 2013 (aged 65)

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Cause of death Heart attack

Nationality Indian

Education St. Xavier's College, Mumbai

Occupation Actor

Spouse(s) Roopa Shaikh

Children Sanaa Shaikh, Shaaista Shaikh

Farooq Sheikh (25 March 1948 − 28 December 2013) 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 28 December 2013. His major contribution was in Parallel
Cinema or the New Indian Cinema. He worked with directors like Satyajit Ray, Muzaffar
Ali, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Ketan Mehta.[1]
He acted in serials and shows on television and performed on stage in famous productions such
as Tumhari Amrita (1992), alongside Shabana Azmi, directed by Feroz Abbas Khan, and
presented the TV show, Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai (Season 1).[2] He won the 2010 National Film
Award for Best Supporting Actor for Lahore.[3]

Contents
[hide]

 1Personal life
 2Career
 3Death
 4Filmography
 5Awards and recognition
 6References
 7External links

Personal life[edit]
Shaikh was born in 1948 at Amroli, a village in Vadodara, Gujarat, to father Mustafa Shaikh and
Mother Farida.[4][5] His father Mustafa Shaikh was a lawyer settled in Mumbai, whose family hailed
from Hansot village (Bharuch district, Gujarat).[6] Shaikh's family were Zamindars (landowners),
and he grew up in luxurious surroundings. Shaikh was the eldest of five children, and grew up
in Nagpada, Mumbai, where his father had settled down to practise law.[7]
Shaikh attended St. Mary's School, Mumbai and then graduated from St. Xavier's College,
Mumbai. He then studied law at Siddharth College of Law, Mumbai.[8] His father had a successful
law practice, which prompted Shaikh to take up law initially.[9] Shaikh came to acting after failing
to relate to his profession in law.[10]
It was at St. Xavier's College that Shaikh met Roopa, his future wife. Both of them were active in
theatre while at college and later they got married.[11] Shaikh's stint at St. Xavier's was important
for both the personal and professional aspects of his life. He made many friends there,
including Sunil Gavaskar, who was a contemporary.[12] His interest in theatre took flight while he
was at St. Xavier's, and among the other theatre enthusiasts there was Roopa, who was his
junior at St Xavier's College. Actor Shabana Azmi, then known mainly as the daughter of noted
poet Kaifi Azmi, was Roopa's classmate. Shaikh thus developed both his theatre skills and his
professional network during those years. He married Roopa some years after graduating from St.
Xaviers. They have two daughters, Shaaista and Sanaa. His younger daughter Sanaa works with
the NGO United Way Mumbai.[13]

Career[edit]
Farooque Shaikh

In his early days, he was active in theatre, doing plays with IPTA and with well-known directors
like Sagar Sarhadi. In 1973, while Shaikh was in his final year of law school, MS Sathyu
approached him for his directorial debut Garam Hawa.[14] His first major film role was in the 1973
film Garam Hawa, where Farooque had a supporting role and the leading man was Balraj Sahni.
The film is credited for being a pioneer of a new wave of Hindi Art cinema.[15] His salary for his
debut film was only Rupees 750.[16] He first gained popular recognition as a quiz master on radio,
but it was his participation as an anchor on Bombay Doordarshan shows such as Yuvadarshan
and Young World that made him a household name.[17] Sheikh in Gaman (1978) acted as the
migrant Bombay taxi driver from Badaun in Uttar Pradesh dreaming about returning home to
meet his wife, but never saves up enough to return home.[18] He went on to act in several notable
films such as Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khiladi (Chess Players) (1977), Noorie (1979), Chashme
Buddoor (1981), Umrao Jaan( 1981), Bazaar (1982) Saath Saath(1982), Rang
Birangi,(1983) Kissi Se Na Kehna (1983) Ek Baar Chale Aao (1983) Katha (1983) Ab Ayega
Mazaa (1984) Salma (1985) Peechha Karo (1986) Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988) And Maya
Memsaab (1993) . He formed a successful pair with Deepti Naval. He also did a slightly negative
role in Katha.
He was paired opposite Shabana Azmi in Sagar Sarhadi's Lorie, Kalpana Lajmi's Ek Pal and
Muzaffar Ali's Anjuman (1986) and then in the play Tumhari Amrita.[19] His onscreen pairing with
Deepti Naval was very popular with audiences, and they worked as a pair in nine films, amongst
films such as Noorie, Chashme Buddoor, Katha, Saath Saath, Kissi se Na Kehna, Rang Birangi,
Ek Baar Chale Aao, Biopic Hasrat Mohani, Maya Memsaab, Tell Me Oh Khuda, Faasle, Listen...
Amaya And Club 60 .[20]
In 2002, in an interview with the Times of India Shaikh said, "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 in 70s and 80s, 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 which Khanna could always do. I miss
not being 100 per cent commercially viable like him."[21]
In the 1990s, he acted in fewer films and made his last film appearances in Saas Bahu Aur
Sensex (2008) and Lahore (2009), for which he won the 2010 National Film Award for Best
Supporting Actor. His last film as the leading man was Club 60 (2013).He played the role of
Ranbir Kapoor's father in his last performance in the movie Yeh Jawaani Hai
Deewani (2013).The film got released in May, and we lost the gem in December.
Realbollywood.com said on his performance in the film: "As a grieving father who won't allow his
loss to be forgotten, he hits all the right notes treading that thin line between the melancholy and
maudlin with majestic grace."[22]
Children of War released in 2014 after his passing.
In the late 90s, Farooque Shaikh acted in a number of television serials. He played Hasrat
Mohani in Kahkashan - Hasrat Mohani, a biopic on the great poet and freedom fighter Hasrat
Mohani in 1988 with Deepti Naval playing his wife. Other than that Aahaa on Zee, Chamatkar on
Sony and Ji Mantriji on Star plus are a few notable success. He also worked in the famous TV
serial Shrikant which aired on Doordarshan from 1985 to 1986. This show was an adaptation
of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel. Shaikh also had a cameo in Life OK's Do Dil Ek Jaan,
where he was seen as the heroine's father in the initial episodes.
He compered the Binny Double or Quits Quiz contest, which was telecast over Vividh Bharati. He
also performed on stage in famous plays such as Tumhari Amrita, directed by Feroz Abbas
Khan, featuring Shabana Azmi.[23] [24] A sequel to this play was staged in India in 2004 titled Aapki
Soniya, with Farooque Shaikh and Sonali Bendre as main leads.[25]Tumhari Amrita completed its
20-year run on 27 February 2012.[26] He directed Aazar Ka Khwab, an adaptation of Bernard
Shaw’s Pygmalion in 2004.[27]
He had been the host of the popular TV show Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai, in which he interviewed
many Bollywood celebrities. His sense of humour and direct humble approach was the USP of
the show.
What is less known about Farooque Shaikh is his contribution to the UNICEF polio eradication
programme. He made several extensive trips to two polio-endemic states, Bihar and Uttar
Pradesh, and worked closely with its programme teams who were working with communities to
get greater acceptance of the polio vaccine.

Death[edit]
Farooque Shaikh died of a heart attack in the early hours of 28 December 2013 in Dubai, where
he was on holiday with his family. His funeral prayers, held in Mumbai at Millat NagarMosque on
30 December 2013 in the evening, were attended by many personalities, including Javed
Akhtar and Shabana Azmi. He was buried in Muslim Qabristan, Four Bungalows, Andheri West.
His grave is near his mother's grave.[28][29]

Filmography[edit]

Title Role

Sangini (unreleased; made by Applause Co-starring Radhika Shah, Sunil Sinha, Sulbha Arya &
Entertainment) Kitu Gidwani

Children of War (2014) Museed

Youngistaan (2014) Akbar Uncle

Club 60 (2013) Dr. Tarique

 Title Role

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) Thapar

Shanghai (2012) Kaul

Listen... Amaya (2013) Jayant

Tell Me O Khuda (2011) Ravi Kapoor

Accident on Hill Road (2009) Prakash Shrivastava

Lahore (2009) S K Rao

Saas Bahu Aur Sensex (2008) Firoze Sethna

Lépidoptère, Le (1998) Le collègue du jongleur

Mohabbat (1997) Shekhar Sharma

Ab Insaf Hoga (1995) Ramcharan

Maya Memsaab (1992) Dr. Charu Das

Waafa (1990)

Jaan-E-Wafa (1990)

Mera Damad (1995)

Toofan (1989) Gopal Sharma

 Title Role

Doosra Kanoon (1989) Diwan Sardarilal

Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988) Suraj Bhandari

Gharwali Baharwali (1988) Sunil Khanna

Peechha Karo (1986) Vijay

Rajlakshmi (1987)

Mahananda (1987)

Khel Mohabbat Ka (1986) Amit Verma

Anjuman (1986) Sajid

Ek Pal (1986) Jeet Barua

Faasle (1985) Sanjay

Salma (1985)

Lorie (1984) Bhupinder Singh

Ab Ayega Mazaa (1984) Vijay

Yahan Wahan (1984)

Lakhon Ki Baat (1984) Alok Prakash

 Title Role

Rang Birangi (1983) Prof. Jeet Saxena

Ek Baar Chale Aao (1983)

Katha (1983) Bashudev

Kissi Se Na Kehna (1983) Ramesh

Aparoopa/Apeksha (1982) Rana

Bazaar (1982) Sarju

Saath Saath (1982) Avinash

Chashme Buddoor (1981) Siddharth Parashar

Umrao Jaan (1981) Nawab Sultan

Noorie (1979) Yusuf Fakir Mohammed

Gaman (1978) Ghulam Hussain

Gher Gher Matina Chula (1977) Ajay

Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977) Aqueel

Mere Saath Chal (1974) Amit

Garam Hawa (1973) Sikandar Mirza

Awards and recognition[edit]

Year Nominee/work Award Result

2010 Lahore National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor Won

References[edit]
1. Jump up^ Getting nostalgic about Farooq Sheikh Rediff.com, 4
September 2008.
2. Jump up^ Writing its own destiny Archived 11 September 2012
at Archive.is Screen, Namita Nivas, 28 November 2008.
3. Jump up^ "And the National Award goes to..." The Times of India.
17 September 2010.
4. Jump up^ "Farooque Shaikh to be laid to rest near his mother's
grave in Andheri today".
5. Jump up^ "Amyra Dastur to Farhan Akhtar: Prominent Parsis in
Bollywood".
6. Jump
up^ http://cegahkeropostulang.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/actor-
farooque-shaikh-laid-to-rest.html
7. Jump up^ Farooque Shaikh: The big picture The Times of India,
14 September 2002.
8. Jump up^ "Happy Choices". screenindia.com. Archived from the
original on 31 August 2008.
9. Jump up^ "Veteran actor Farooq Sheikh passes away". The
Telegraph. Calcutta, India. 28 December 2013.
10. Jump up^ "Farooq Sheikh: Parallel cinema's blue eyed boy". dna.
Retrieved 16 October 2014.
11. Jump up^ "Farooq Sheikh: A tribute to parallel cinema's blue-
eyed boy". Retrieved 16 October2014.
12. Jump up^ "Farooque Shaikh, aam admi of Indian cinema, dead –
The Times of India". The Times Of India.
13. Jump up^ "Farooque Shaikh was polite to a fault, witty and
generous – The Times of India". The Times Of India.
14. Jump up^ "An actor and a gentleman". Mumbai Mirror.
Retrieved 16 October 2014.
15. Jump up^ Abu Dhabi Film Festival to celebrate 100 years of
Indian Cinema Archived 28 December 2013 at the Wayback
Machine.. DearCinema.com (10 October 2013). Retrieved on 28
December 2013.
16. Jump up^ "Farooq Sheikh, parallel cinema's blue eyed boy - India
News Analysis Opinions on Niti Central". India News Analysis
Opinions on Niti Central. Archived from the original on 25 October
2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
17. Jump up^ "Vereran actor Farooq Sheikh, 65, dies in
Dubai". livemint.com/. Retrieved 16 October2014.
18. Jump up^ "Movies - Meet the frownies". livemint.com/.
Retrieved 16 October 2014.
19. Jump up^ "Shabana Azmi: I can't believe Farooque Shaikh's
gone so suddenly". Rediff. 28 December 2013. Retrieved 16
October 2014.
20. Jump up^ "Deepti Naval: Farooque Shaikh was not sick at
all". Rediff. 28 December 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
21. Jump up^ "RIP Farooque Shaikh: No letters in blood for him, but
a fine actor, liberal Muslim". Firstpost. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
 22. Jump up^ Club 60 Movie Review Archived 28 December 2013 at
the Wayback Machine.. Realbollywood.com (6 December 2013).
Retrieved on 28 December 2013.
23. Jump up^ Actor Farooque Shaikh dies of heart attack, Amitabh
Bachchan, SRK react. Hindustan Times (28 December 2013).
Retrieved on 28 December 2013.
24. Jump up^ When Tumhari Amrita Becomes Aapki Sonia. Financial
Express (22 February 2004). Retrieved on 28 December 2013.
25. Jump up^ Mahmood, Rafay. (19 June 2013) Sajid Hasan all set
for Aapki Soniya – The Express Tribune. Tribune.com.pk.
Retrieved on 28 December 2013.
26. Jump up^ Tumhari Amrita turns 20 Archived 28 December 2013
at the Wayback Machine.. Hindustan Times (20 February 2012).
Retrieved on 28 December 2013.
27. Jump up^ The Sunday Tribune – Spectrum. Tribuneindia.com.
Retrieved on 28 December 2013.
28. Jump up^ "Shabana Azmi, Deepti Naval Break Down At Farooq
Sheikh's Funeral". 1 January 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
29. Jump up^ "Veteran Actor Farooq Sheikh dies of Heart Attack". 28
December 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.

External links[edit]
 Farooq Shaikh on IMDb

[show]

National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor

[show]

Indian Telly Award for Best Anchor

Categories:
 Indian male film actors
 Indian male stage actors
 Indian People's Theatre Association people
 Indian Sunni Muslims
 Gujarati people
 People from Gujarat
 1948 births
 2013 deaths
 St. Xavier's College, Mumbai alumni
 Indian television presenters
 Indian male television actors
 Male actors in Hindi cinema
  Best Supporting Actor National Film Award winners
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