Umrao Jaan filmmaker Muzaffar Ali on Farooq Shaikh's 77th birth anniversary, "His quiet strength, even in roles where the heroine held the narrative's pulse, brought a rare balance to storytelling"

Muzaffar Ali, who directed Farooq Sheikh in two of his finest works Gaman and Umrao Jaan, recalls the affable actor with much affection. “Farooq’s grace and effortless ability to embody characters with such authenticity left an indelible mark on Indian cinema,” he said. “His quiet strength, even in roles where the heroine held the narrative’s pulse, brought a rare balance to storytelling—making every frame richer and more meaningful. It’s true that artists like him elevate cinema to the realm of art, where emotions breathe and characters live beyond the screen. His absence may be deeply felt, but his spirit continues to inspire, adding unseen strength to my journey as a filmmaker.”

 

Umrao Jaan filmmaker Muzaffar Ali on Farooq Shaikh's 77th birth anniversary, "His quiet strength, even in roles where the heroine held the narrative's pulse, brought a rare balance to storytelling"

 

Sanjay Tripathi, who directed Farooq in the actor’s last film Club 60, said, “My memories of Farooq Sheikh sir are not just limited to (the) making of Club 60. From an actor-director relationship, it transcended into the bonding of two food lovers. We bonded over the finest chaats, sweets, kababs and biryanis of Mumbai. I still remember his phone call when he had come to visit Shabanaji’s mom in Breach Candy and I was then staying in Peddar Road then. He called and said, ‘Kuch khaane ka mood hai, Sanjay sahab?’ Next thing I knew we were sitting in Noor Mohammadi Mithaiwale on Mohammad Ali Road and savouring best of non-veg delicacies of his choice and then he got me packed some choicest of sweets from Suleman Mithaiwala.”

 

He added, “On the very first day of shoot, thinking that he would be conscious of food, someone offered him multigrain bread sandwich. He made his face hearing that and he said ‘Mujhe aisi buri aadatein nahin hai. Mujhe safed waali bread makkhan ke saath aur chai chalegi’. Thinking of this it still brings smile on my face.”

 

“If he got any sweets from somewhere, he would keep it for me till our next meeting,” recalled Tripathi. “He didn’t know driving, and we had the shot of him driving the car. He said, ‘Sanjay Sahab, ghode chahe jitna daudwa lo, bas gaadi mat chalwao’. Lots of people don’t know that he was an avid horse rider.”

 

The filmmaker added, “Memories are so many! It still feels like yesterday that he was with us and we were laughing at his jokes. I feel blessed that I got to work with him. I always knew that he was a fantastic actor, but after working with him I came to know that he was a connoisseur of food, a great thinker, had an amazing sense of humour, and above all a fantastic human being. Miss you Farooq sahab.”

 

Also Read: Shabana Azmi pays emotional tribute to Farooq Shaikh on his death anniversary, recalls their last show together; see post

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