From the stage to the big screen: Journey of Farooq Sheikh

His death anniversary does not call for mourning but remembrance. Farooq Sheikh has indeed been etched in our memories, his scintillating performances, and his charismatic character. Let us all sit back and enjoy those memories.

Farooq Shaik; Image Credit: Outlook

The oldest among his four other siblings, Farooq Sheikh was born in Vadodra, Gujarat on 25 March 1948. His father was an attorney practising in Mumbai.

Sheikh received education from St Xavier’s College and then went on to pursue a degree in law from Siddharth College of Law, Mumbai. He was approached by director M.S. Sathyu in his final year of law school, to play a supporting role in the movie Garam Hawa; which became a groundbreaking movie on the partition. This was made possible because of Sheik's active role with theatre circuits, majorly the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA), and his association with directors like Sagar Sarhad. It was due to Sarhadi that Sheik would be cast in movies like Bazaar and make important connections with Smita Patil, Noorie, Naseeruddin Shah, and Faasle.

Farooq Sheikh has an impressive record of working with prominent directors that includes Sai Paranjape in Chashme Buddoor and Katha, Satyajit Ray in Shatranj Ke Khiladi, and Muzaffar Ali in Umrao Jaan and Gaman.

Sheikh won the National Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2010, for the movies Lahore and Saas, Bahu Aur Sensex. He also portrayed the role of Ranbir Kapoor’s father in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. Club 60 and Youngistaan, were his recent films. Youngistan was released post his demise.

Apart from films, he was popular on the silver screen as well as on the theatre stage. The play Tumhaari Amrita that successfully ran for 21 years globally, starred Farooq Sheikh and Shabana Azmi and was first performed in 1921. He was also the host for the television show Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai. He developed a great partnership with Deepti Naval and Shabana Azmi during his long career.

Farooq Sheikh first paired up with Deepti Naval for Chashme Buddoor in 1981. Directed by Sai Paranjpe the movie was a huge success which led to both of them being cast in eight more films: Tell Me Oh Khuda, Saath Saath, Ek Baar Chale Aao, Kissi Se Na Kehna, Rang Birangi,  Katha, Faasle, and Listen… Amaya.

In an interview, Naval said, “It (Chashme Buddoor) is a movie which you can never get tired of. Even if it is playing on television, you cannot switch channels.”

The bond Deepti Naval and Farooq Sheikh shared was not limited to their profession.

On hearing about Sheik's demise Naval said, “When we worked together again in ‘Listen….Amaya’ after 26 years, he was still pulling my leg. I said, ‘Ab toh sudhar jao’. He was adorable. He never changed. The only change I saw in him during ‘Listen…Amaya’ was that he would not sit with the rest of the unit after a shot. He would go back to his book. He was always reading.”

Farooq Sheikh and Shabana Azmi's friendship goes back to St Xavier’s College, where both of them were enrolled in 1969.

“We always won the best actor and best actress awards which got us Rs 50 each. Farooq got another Rs 160 for best play. With the prize money, we’d hire an escort cab and travel to Juhu where he’d drop me home, like a raja and rani, since on other days, we took the local train,” Shabana Azmi said once.

The two acted in the play Tumhari Amrita, in 1992 which was an adaptation of A.R. Gurney’s Love Letter. The 21 year-long run of the show ended in 2013 in front of the Taj Mahal with a final performance. Shabana Azmi also recounts how Farooq Sheikh and Feroz Abbas Khan had helped her get bail in a wrongful arrest. She recalls that, they had a show in NCPA that day and how Sheikh had helped her until the end.

Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Anjuman, and Lorie are some other works that saw the collaboration of both artists. Apart from being an actor Farooq Sheikh was a philanthropist. A lesser-known fact, Farooq Sheikh provided aid for educating the sons of the Taj Hotel's maintenance worker who was killed in the 26/11 terror attacks. His only condition was anonymity. He would without any hesitation send in the required amount at the beginning of each new academic year.

His death on 28th December 2013, left, not only the acting industry in shock but, also the public who admired him dearly. A true artist, he would forever remain in our memories.