{"id":5831,"date":"2020-08-24T17:48:57","date_gmt":"2020-08-24T12:18:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/?p=5831"},"modified":"2020-08-24T17:51:40","modified_gmt":"2020-08-24T12:21:40","slug":"soorma-bhopali-tribute-to-jagdeep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/soorma-bhopali-tribute-to-jagdeep\/","title":{"rendered":"Soorma Bhopali Lives On…"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Jagdeep\"

Jagdeep<\/p><\/div>\n

There was a time when Hindi cinema \u2013 much before the term \u201cBollywood\u201d became common currency, was filled with some of the most outstanding comedians who also turned in wonderful serious performances whenever they were given the chance which, however was rare. In this celestial gallery were names like Om Prakash, Agha, Keshto Mukherjee, Mukri, IS Johar, Johnny Walker, Mehmood, Rajendranath, Tuntun, Manorama, and many more. Jagdeep, who passed away in Mumbai in July was the last among the batch of successors to the former, each having given humour and comedy in Hindi cinema in his own typical definition and character.<\/p>\n

When heroes decided to wear the mantle of humour in films, the era of comedians almost faded away apart from heroes who also played the comic and the comic who also doubled up as an important character. Among these great talents, Jagdeep had a very successful career with around 400 films spanning a career of five decades or more.<\/p>\n

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Jagdeep and Ratan Kumar in Do Bigha Zamin<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

I remember him as a teenager playing a shoeshine boy in Bimal Roy\u2019s Do Bigha Zamin<\/em> who teaches Shambhu\u2019s son the tricks of the trade. Bimal Roy said he chose Jagdeep to play the role because when asked to rehearse the first shot, he found the boy kissing the polishing toolbox and then going his way. The director found this improvisation impressive and lengthened his role in the film. The rest, as they say, is history. Jagdeep became an overnight name as Lalu Ustad, the name of the character he played in the film.<\/p>\n

His real name was Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jaffrey which was changed to Jagdeep when he stepped into films. But this happened later. He was born into a family of advocates in Datia, Madhya Pradesh. His father died when he was an infant and the family, placed in dire circumstances during the Partition, decided to shift to Mumbai when he was around eight on nine years old. \u00a0His mother took up the job of a cook in an orphanage while he himself did odd jobs of selling cheap streetside toys like kites. He was spotted for a tiny role in Afsana<\/em> (1951) and he got Rs.1.50 for the small part. He was given a dialogue and that doubled the sum he got. That was just the beginning.<\/p>\n

For those who believe that Jagdeep can only be identified with roles like the one he portrayed in Sholay <\/em>as Soorma Bhopali, must watch him in serious and romantic roles in some of his films when he grew up. This writer remembers him in AVM\u2019s Bhabhi<\/em> (1957) in which he played the second hero. The hero was Balraj Sahni and this southern family melodrama turned out to be a box office hit with wonderful songs composed by Chitragupta and lyrics by Rajinder Krishan. It was adapted from a Bengali novel by Prabavati Devi Saraswati noted for writing soppy family melodramas in her time. It was also the Hindi remake of the Bengali film Bhanga Gara<\/em>. Jagdeep played Baldev, the brother of Balraj Sahini and a good-natured young guy.\u00a0 He falls in love with Lata (Nanda,) a child widow and his bhabi\u2019s sister. Jagdeep\u2019s performance as the silent must be seen to be believed. One felt this film would establish him as a hero but though it got him several similar roles, he was forced to fall back on comedy and he did and how!<\/p>\n

Chali chali re patang meri chali re<\/strong><\/em> (Bhabhi<\/em>, 1957) Chitragupt \/ Rajinder Krishan \/ Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar<\/span><\/p>\n