Praise for Begum in 'Gulabo Sitabo' makes me happy: Farrukh Jafar

At 88, actor Farrukh Jafar, whose scene-stealing turn as Fatto Begum in Gulabo Sitabo is highlight of movie, has retained her childlike enthusiasm and love for camera, which she considers as secret behind her acting.

"I never feel nervous in doing any role. I only see camera and my role and thing else. That's my secret,"  actor told PTI over phone from Luckw.

Jafar plays 95-year-old wife to Amitabh Bachchan's 78-year-old Mirza who is awaiting his Begum's death to finally own Fatima Mahal, derelict mansion at centre of conflict in movie streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Begum, with her quick repartees and a fondness for Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, keeps a tight control over Mirza and is responsible for film's surprise twist in final moments.

Jafar said director Shoojit Sircar and writer Juhi Chaturvedi came to her home in Luckw to offer her part.

"I am a big Amitabh Bachchan fan. I was like Wah! I will get to work with a superstar. I h his romantic im as star of 'Silsila', a tall and handsome guy but in this film his get-up was ugly. He was playing Mirza with a fat se and big beard, she said.

Shoojit told me, "Please forget that he is Amitabh Bachchan. He is greedy, old Mirza and you are his wife, Fatto Begum'. I immediately understood what he meant."

actor said she h hoped to talk to Bachchan on sets, but actor would disappear after doing his scenes.

One of first rio anuncers of Vividh Bharti Luckw in 1963, Jafar me her acting debut with 1981 movie Umrao Jaan where she played Rekha's mor.

After her debut, roles in TV shows beckoned but it was Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 2004 film Swes that gave her a memorable second innings in Bollywood.

In 2010, she starred in Peepli Live where her -len rants as bidi-smoking mor-in-law me her an instant hit.

She followed it up with roles in Salman Khan-starrer Sultan , Aamir Khan-starrer Secret Superstar and Peepli Live co-star Nawazuddin Siddiqui's Photograph .

Jafar said she also wanted to work with Irrfan Khan but with actor's untimely death in April this year, it is longer possible.

"I wanted to work with Irrfan but he left us early. I really liked him. Nawazuddin is like my child. I met him during Peepli Live'. body recognised him n but he has w become famous. I got to work with him again in Photograph'," she said.

actor credits rio for giving her a career as a performer.

"I h a relative who needed a job. I told her I cant do much but I kw someone in rio so I will take you re. We went re and mujhe vahan ka mahaul bahut achha laga' (I really liked atmosphere re). I asked m wher I could also re script. y said I could. I started reing and later got to kw that I h been selected," she recalled.

actor is happy that her performance is being appreciated.

"Maine suna ki Begum baazi maar le jaati hai picture mein. ( I have heard that Begum outruns everyone in film). Such praise about my character makes me happy," she ded.

Jafar, who was married to journalist-politician Syed Muhamm Jaffar and has two daughters -- Mehru and Shaheen, said her bond with camera always pulls her towards cinema.

"I will keep acting if I get good offers. When camera is on, I forget everything," she said ding that some of her projects are currently stuck due to coronavirus situation.

Im credit: Amazon Prime