MUMBAI: With roles that touched the emotional chord, actor Farooque Shaikh made a special place among his fans. When the actor passed away few weeks back, his fans couldn’t help but cry. Shaikh continues to evoke much affection and respect within the film fraternity. Indian Films & TV Directors Association organised a tribute to Shaikh at the S P Jain Auditorium in Bhavan’s College yesterday, where some of India's finest directors assembled to recall the experience of working with the remarkable actor.
The people who came to pay a tribute to the actor included MS Sathyu who introduced Sheikh in Garm Hawa in 1973, Muzaffar Ali who selected the actor to play a lead in nearly all of the films he directed, starting with Gaman (1978) to Umrao Jaan (1981) and Anjuman (1986). It was while shooting Anjuman that Sheikh became acquainted with the plight of the impoverished chikankari artisans of Lucknow. It spawned a lifelong association with the classic white embroidered kurta-pyjama that remained his unique hallmark. Interestingly, he used to order his outfits directly from the karigars.
Others included veterans and new age Hindi film directors, actors and writers who worked with him including – Sagar Sarhadi, Ramesh Talwar, Raman Kumar, Pankaj Parashar, Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan, Sanjay Tripathi, Avinash Kumar Singh, Shona Urvashi, Suhail Tatari, Javed Siddiqui and Anand Rai.
Among his co-actors, Deepti Naval shared her thoughts on their long working partnership spanning Doordarshan television shows leading on to Chashme Buddoor right up to Listen Amaya last year.
The ceremony was organised by President of the Indian Films & TV Directors Association Ashok Pandit who said, “We thought we should invite all the directors who have worked with the late veteran actor Shaikh to share interesting moments with the actor, whether these are humorous or sensitive or simply give an insight into his unique personality. They will narrate little trivia which will be useful to those who have merely seen Shaikh on screen and want to know more about him as an actor & human being. This great actor and exceptional human being deserve to be remembered in the most dignified way. What better than inviting all his directors upon a common forum to celebrate his talent and his persona.”
