Farooq Sheikh
Sheikh at Mirchi Music Awards in 2011
Born	(1948-03-25)25 March 1948 Amroli,Baroda State,India
Died	28 December 2013(2013-12-28) (aged 65) Dubai,United Arab Emirates
Resting place	Muslim Qabristan,Four Bungalows,Andheri West,Mumbai,Maharashtra, India
Education	St. Xavier's College, Mumbai Siddharth College of Law, Mumbai
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1973–2013
Spouse	Roopa Sheikh
Children	Two

Farooq Sheikh (25 March 1948 − 28 December 2013) was an Indian actor, philanthropist and television presenter. He was best known for his work in Hindi films from 1973 to 1993 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 inParallel Cinema or the New Indian Cinema. He worked with directors likeSatyajit Ray,Sai Paranjpye,Muzaffar Ali,Hrishikesh Mukherjee,Ayan Mukherjee andKetan Mehta.^[1]

He acted in serials and shows on television and performed on stage in productions such asTumhari Amrita (1992), alongsideShabana Azmi, directed byFeroz Abbas Khan, and presented the TV show,Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai (Season 1).^[2] He won the 2010National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor forLahore.^[3]

Sheikh was born in 1948 atAmroli, 90 km off Vadodara in Naswadi taluka,Gujarat,India^[4] to Farida and Mustafa Sheikh.^[5][6] His father was a lawyer who worked in Bombay and whose family came fromHansot in theBharuch district ofGujarat.^[7] Shaikh came from aZamindar family, and he grew up in luxurious surroundings inNagpada, Bombay. He was the eldest of five children.^[8]

Shaikh attendedSt. Mary's School in Bombay and then graduated fromSt. Xavier's College in the city before studying law atSiddharth College of Law, following his father into the profession.^[9][10] He did not, however, undertake a legal career, instead choosing theatre, having acted in college.^[11]

At St Xavier's Shaikh met Roopa, his future wife. Both were active in theatre and were later married after nine years;^[12] the couple have two daughters Sanaa and Shaista. His time at St. Xavier's was important for both personal and professional reasons and he made many friends there, includingSunil Gavaskar, who was a contemporary.^[13] ActorShabana Azmi, then known mainly as the daughter of noted poetKaifi Azmi, was Roopa's classmate at St Xavier's.^[14]

In his early days, he was active in theatre, doing plays withIPTA and with well-known directors likeSagar Sarhadi. In 1973, while Shaikh was in his final year of law school,MS Sathyu approached him for his directorial debutGaram Hawa.^[15] His first major film role was in the 1973 filmGaram Hawa, where Farooque had a supporting role and the leading man wasBalraj Sahni. The film is credited for being a pioneer of a new wave of Hindi Art cinema.^[16] His salary for his debut film was only Rs. 750.^[17] He first gained 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.^[18] Shaikh inGaman (1978) acted as the migrant Bombay taxi driver from Badaun in Uttar Pradesh hoping to return to meet his wife, but never saves up enough to return home.^[19] He went on to act in several notable films such asSatyajit Ray'sShatranj 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),Faasle (1985),Peechha Karo (1986),Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988), andMaya Memsaab (1993). He formed a successful pair withDeepti Naval. He also did a slightly negative role inKatha.

He was paired opposite Shabana Azmi in Sagar Sarhadi'sLorie, Kalpana Lajmi'sEk Pal and Muzaffar Ali'sAnjuman (1986) and then in the playTumhari Amrita.^[20] His chemistry with Deepti Naval led to them being cast opposite each other in nine films, namelyChashme Buddoor,Katha,Saath Saath,Kissi Se Na Kehna,Rang Birangi,Ek Baar Chale Aao,Tell Me Oh Khuda,Faasle andListen... Amaya. They also appeared as the lead pair in an episode onHasrat Mohani in the TV serialKahkashan.^[21]

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 1970s and 1980s, whenRajesh 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."^[22]

In the 1990s, he acted in fewer films. But resurfaced in notable roles in the 2000s. He appeared inSaas Bahu Aur Sensex (2008) andLahore (2009), for which he won the 2010National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. He appeared as Bunny (Ranbir Kapoor)'s father inYeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013). His last film as the leading man wasClub 60 (2013) which was also his last release before his death. Realbollywood.com said about 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 melancholy and maudlin with majestic grace."^[23] He also appeared inYoungistaan andChildren of War, both of which released in 2014, after his demise.

In the 80s-90s, Farooque Shaikh appeared in several television serials. He played the title role in an episode dedicated to the poet and freedom fighterHasrat Mohani in the TV seriesKahkashan (1988) with Deepti Naval playing his wife. He also worked in the famous TV serialShrikant which aired on Doordarshan from 1987 to 1991. This show was an adaptation ofSarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel. This was followed byAahaa on Zee.Chamatkar on Sony andJi Mantriji (an adaptation ofYes Minister),on Star Plus were other notable successes. Shaikh also had a cameo in Life OK'sDo Dil Ek Jaan, where he was seen as the leading lady's father in the initial episodes.

Earlier in the 70s he compered the Binny Double or Quits Quiz contest, which was telecast over Vividh Bharati.His career on stage that began as a student at St. Xavier's College in the late 1960s reached its peak in the famous playTumhari Amrita. It was directed by Feroz Abbas Khan and also featured Shabana Azmi.^[24][25] A sequel to this play was staged in 2004 titledAapki Soniya, with Farooque Shaikh and Sonali Bendre as the only performers.^[26]Tumhari Amrita completed its 20-year run on 27 February 2012.^[27] He directedAazar Ka Khwab, an adaptation of Bernard Shaw'sPygmalion in 2004.^[28]

He hosted the TV showJeena Issi Ka Naam Hai, in which he interviewed celebrities from the Hindi film world. His sense of humour and direct humble approach was the USP of the show.

Lesser known 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 for the polio vaccine.He also kept on helping 26/11 affected families in Mumbai.^[29]

Farooque Shaikh died of aheart attack in the early hours of 28 December 2013 inDubai, where he was on holiday with his family. His funeral prayers, held inMumbai atMillat Nagar Andheri Mosque on 30 December 2013 in the evening, were attended by many personalities, includingJaved Akhtar andShabana Azmi. He was buried in Muslim Qabristan,Four Bungalows,Andheri West. His grave is near that of his mother.^[30][31]

• On 25 March 2018, search engineGoogle commemorated Farooq Sheikh with aDoodle on his 70th birth anniversary.^[32] Google commented: "Farouque Shaikh essayed agonizing heartbreak and light-hearted comedy with equal ease. Beyond the silver screen, Shaikh was integral to Indian theater, and his epistolary play, 'Tumhari Amrita' with Shabana Azmi delighted audiences for over two decades."^[33]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toFarooque Shaikh.

• Farooq Sheikh atIMDb 
• Farooq Sheikh atBollywood Hungama

• 1948 births
• 2013 deaths
• Indian male film actors
• Indian male stage actors
• Indian Sunni Muslims
• Gujarati actors
• Male actors from Gujarat
• St. Xavier's College, Mumbai alumni
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• Indian male television actors
• Male actors in Hindi cinema
• Best Supporting Actor National Film Award winners

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