'Sholay' director Ramesh Sippy credits Jagdeep for making Soorma Bhopali iconic

Actor Jagdeep passed away last week, on July 8, 2020. He was best known for his role as Soorma Bhopali in Amitabh Bachchan starrer Sholay. In a recent interview with a news portal, filmmaker Ramesh Sippy revealed how the team of Sholay did not have any idea that Soorma Bhopali would go on to become such an iconic character.

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Ramesh Sippy talks about Soorma Bhopali aka Jagdeep

While talking about Soorma Bhopali in a recent interview, Ramesh Sippy revealed that the character was only meant to be a comic diversion. He spoke about how such things were the norm in the cinema back then. Ramesh Sippy also revealed that they did not have any idea that Jagdeep’s character of Soorma Bhopali would go on to make such an impact on the audience.

Ramesh Sippy praised late actor Jagdeep for helping to make Soorma Bhopali so successful. Further talking about the same, Sippy added that Jagdeep brought Soorma Bhopali to life with his humour and gestures that are unmatched even today. Ramesh Sippy also credited Jagdeep for making Soorma Bhopali as one of the most loved characters ever.

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Jagdeep was a well-established and popular face in the film industry by the time Sholay was made. Even with his large fan base, he readily agreed to play such a small role in Sholay. Jagdeep had earlier worked with Ramesh Sippy before Sholay in the 1968 film, Brahmachari too.

Ramesh Sippy recalled how he was the executive producer of the Shammi Kapoor starrer. He revealed how while casting for Sholay, Jagdeep’s name immediately popped into his mind. Ramesh Sippy revealed that he was convinced Jagdeep was well-versed with Bhopal and would hence help to bring the flavour of Soorma Bhopali on the big screen.

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Jagdeep first portrayed the character of Soorma Bhopali in the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Sholay. The character became extremely popular among fans Later on, Jagdeep went on to direct a film based entirely on his character of Soorma Bhopali that also starred him.

Jagdeep passed away on Wednesday at 8:30 pm in his residence in Bandra. The actor also has two sons, Javed Jaffrey and Naved Jaffrey. In his entire career, Jagdeep has appeared in several comedy roles.

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