Salim Khan: Comedy ke liye timing bahut zaroori hai and Jagdeep had a great sense of that

Veteran comedian Jagdeep, 81, passed away on the night of July 8 from age-related issues. As a comedian, his role as Soorma Bhopali in 'Sholay' (1975) cemented his place among the comedic greats of the Hindi film industry. His dialogues, ‘Magar hamara naam bhi Soorma Bhopali aise hi nahin hai’ and ‘Khambha ukhaad ke’ are still fondly remembered by movie buffs.
Born Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jafri on March 29, 1939, Jagdeep, a barrister’s son, began selling soaps, combs and kites on the streets following his father’s death. He started his journey in the movies as a child actor, went on to play a romantic hero in some films, and finally, emerged as an iconic comedian of Indian cinema. His first brush with comedy was in Bimal Roy’s 'Do Bigha Zamin' (1953) where he played a boot-polish boy. He also directed a movie titled 'Soorma Bhopali' (1988) with special appearances by actors Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra and Rekha. During his long career, he was a part of many memorable films, including 'Aar Paar' (1954), 'Khilona' (1970), 'Gora Aur Kala' (1972), 'Qurbani' (1980) 'Shahenshah' (1988), 'Phool Aur Kaante' (1991), 'Andaz Apna Apna' (1994) and 'China Gate' (1998), among others.
The actor is survived by his wife and children, including actor-dancer Jaaved Jaaferi and TV producer, Naved Jafri. His grandson, Meezaan made his debut in Bollywood as an actor last year.
Talking to Bombay Times, actor Dharmendra says, "Main sadme mein hoon. Before the lockdown, I used to call him up regularly to ask him about his well-being. He was a fine actor and an affectionate human being. Hamara milna julna hota tha. Ek doosre ke ghar aana jaana hota tha. Unko purane industry ke aur films ke kisse sunane mein bahut maza aata tha. I was just an actor when I met him for the first time, but he was a star. I had seen him perform as a child artiste on the big screen. On the sets of 'Sholay', we bonded well. Set pe khoob banti thi, badi achchi baatein hoti thi. Kaafi chhed-chhaad bhi hoti thi."
The legendary screenwriter duo, Salim-Javed (Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar), who wrote 'Sholay', had created the character Soorma Bhopali for the film, which went on to become one of the most iconic characters essayed by Jagdeep. Salim Khan says, “You can have a good sense of humour, but that doesn’t mean you can do good comedy on screen. Sirf chillane se you can’t make people laugh. Comedy ke liye timing bahut zaroori hoti hai and Jagdeep had a great sense of that. He was versatile, professional and didn’t have any hang-ups. He loved playing different characters. He was familiar with the Bhopali dialect and his character in 'Sholay' required that effortlessness, so we thought of him for the role. In fact, there was a film called 'Adhikar' (1971), where Pran sahab had played a similar role (Banne Khan Bhopali). I had that in mind when we wrote Soorma Bhopali in 'Sholay'.”
Here are some excerpts from Amitabh Bachchan's blog, "He had crafted a unique individual style of his own .. and I had the honour of working with him in several films.. the more prominent ones in the eyes of the audience being Sholay and Shahenshah. My duas and my prayers.. Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jafri .. his real name, adopted Jagdeep as his film name and gave the film fraternity such memorable performances, that brought so much joy and happiness all around. Adopting Jagdeep as his film name was such a gracious factor that exhibited the unity in diversity of the country."
In an earlier interview with Bombay Times, Jaaved Jaaferi had said, "My father is a respectful man. He taught me how to respect others and I have passed it on to my son, Meezaan."