Published 14:23 IST, July 10th 2020
Dharmendra recalls working with late actor Jagdeep, says he'd make a crying person laugh
Veteran Bollywood actor Dharmendra, who is currently away from the city in self-isolation, spoke to a local daily and expressed grief on Jagdeep's demise.
Bollywood veteran Dharmendra is devastated on hearing the news of fellow actor and comedian Jagdeep's demise on Thursday evening. The Chupke Chupke actor interacted with a leading local daily and spoke about the versatility of the late comedian as he recalled Jagdeep's ability to make a crying person laugh. He fondly remembered his Sholay co-star and said that Jagdeep excelled in making people laugh and it is a skill more difficult than playing a tragic hero onscreen.
Dharmendra paid his heartfelt tribute to the late actor by saying that Soorma Bhopali, Jagdeep's character in the cult classic Sholay, will be remembered in the Hindi film industry for as long as it exists. He recalled how the combination of Jagdeep, Amitabh, and himself had exploded on screen due to their comic timings. He further went onto reveal how Jagdeep had been his senior in the industry and had offered a role (Soorma Bhopali) to him in his 1988 production, which he readily agreed to do.
The veteran actor expressed regret for not having met the late comedian lately owing to the pandemic and shared that he will visit the Jaffry family once the situation under control. Dharmendra had also tweeted his grief on Thursday as he heard of Jagdeep's demise. He wrote, "tum bhi chale gaye... sadme ke baad sadma... jannat naseeb ho... tumhein" (Even you've left... one shock after another... May you be blessed with heaven)
Here is what Amitabh Bachchan wrote:
"Last night we lost another gem ... Jagdeep ... the actor of exceptional comedic repertoire, passed away ... 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 ... He had even requested me to do a small guest role in a film he was producing, which I did ... A humble human ... loved by millions ... 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 ... there were many others at the time that did similar ... the eminent and distinguished ... Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, Meena Kumari, Jayant - Amjad Khan’s Father, a giant of an actor.. and many many others ...
One by one they all go away ... leaving the Industry bereft and deprived of their immense contribution ..."
Veteran actor Jagdeep passed away on Thursday evening due to age-related illness. He is survived by his sons, Javed and Naved Jaffry.
Updated 14:23 IST, July 10th 2020