Farooq Sheikh

Sheikh at the 2011 Mirchi Music Awards
Born	25 March 1948 Vadodara, Gujarat, India
Died	28 December 2013 (aged 65) Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Nationality	Indian
Education	St. Xavier's College, Mumbai
Occupation	Actor
Spouse(s)	Roopa Shaikh
Children	Sanaa Shaikh, Shaaista Shaikh

                                                                                               Personal life

Shaikh was born in 1948 at Amroli, a village near Vadodara, Gujarat, to father Mustafa Shaikh and Mother Farida. His father Mustafa Shaikh was a lawyer settled in Mumbai, whose family hailed from Hansot village (Bharuch district, Gujarat). Shaikh's family were Zamindars(landowners), and he grew up in luxurious surroundings. Shaikh was the eldest of five children, and grew up in Nagpada, Mumbai, where his father had settled down to practise law.

Shaikh attended St. Mary's School, Mumbai and then graduated from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. He then studied law at Siddharth College of Law, Mumbai. His father had a successful law practice, which prompted Shaikh to take up law initially.Shaikh came to acting after failing to relate to his profession in law.

It was at St. Xavier's College that Shaikh met Roopa, his future wife. Both of them were active in theatre while at college and later they got married.Shaikh's stint at St. Xavier's was important for both the personal and professional aspects of his life. He made many friends there, including Sunil Gavaskar, who was a contemporary. His interest in theatre took flight while he was at St. Xavier's, and among the other theatre enthusiasts there was Roopa, who was his junior at St Xavier's College. Actor Shabana Azmi, then known mainly as the daughter of noted poet Kaifi Azmi, was Roopa's classmate. Shaikh thus developed both his theatre skills and his professional network during those years. He married Roopa some years after graduating from St. Xaviers. They have two daughters, Shaaista and Sanaa. His younger daughter Sanaa works with the NGO United Way Mumbai.

Career

He was paired opposite Shabana Azmi in Sagar Sarhadi's Lorie, Kalpana Lajmi's Ek Pal and Muzaffar Ali's Anjuman (1986) and then in the play Tumhari Amrita. His onscreen pairing with Deepti Naval was very popular with audiences, and they worked as a pair in nine films such as Noorie Chashme BuddoorUmrao Jaan Katha, Saath Saath, Kissi se Na Kehna, Rang Birangi Maya Memsaab, Tell Me Oh KhudaYeh Jawaani Hai Deewani Listen... Amaya And Club 60 .In his early days, he was active in theatre, doing plays with IPTA and with well-known directors like Sagar Sarhadi. In 1973, while Shaikh was in his final year of law school, MS Sathyu approached him for his directorial debut Garam Hawa.His first major film role was in the 1973 film Garam Hawa, where Farooque had a supporting role and the leading man was Balraj Sahni. The film is credited for being a pioneer of a new wave of Hindi Art cinema. His salary for his debut film was only Rupees 750.He first gained popular 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. Sheikh in Gaman (1978) acted as the migrant Bombay taxi driver from Badaun in Uttar Pradesh dreaming about returning home to meet his wife, but never saves up enough to return home. He went on to act in several notable films such as Satyajit Ray's Shatranj 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) Peechha Karo (1986) Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988) And Maya Memsaab (1993) . He formed a successful pair with Deepti Naval. He also did a slightly negative role inKatha.

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, when Rajesh 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. I miss not being 100 per cent commercially viable.

In the 1990s, he acted in fewer films and made his last film appearances in Saas Bahu Aur Sensex (2008) and Lahore (2009), for which he won the 2010 National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. His last film as the leading man was Club 60 (2013). Realbollywood.com said on 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 the melancholy and maudlin with majestic grace.

In the late 90s, Farooque Shaikh acted in a number of television serials. He played Hasrat Mohani in Kahkashan - Hasrat Mohani, a biopic on the great poet and freedom fighter Hasrat Mohani in 1988 with Deepti Naval playing his wife. Other than that Aahaa on Zee, Chamatkar on Sony and Ji Mantriji on Star plus are a few notable success. He also worked in the famous TV serial Shrikant which aired on Doordarshan from 1985 to 1986. This show was an adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel. Shaikh also had a cameo in Life OK's Do Dil Ek Jaan, where he was seen as the heroine's father in the initial episodes.

He compered the Binny Double or Quits Quiz contest, which was telecast over Vividh Bharati. He also performed on stage in famous plays such as Tumhari Amrita, directed by Feroz Abbas Khan, featuring Shabana Azmi.A sequel to this play was staged in India in 2004 titled Aapki Soniya, with Farooque Shaikh and Sonali Bendre as main leads. Tumhari Amrita completed its 20-year run on 27 February 2012.He directed Aazar Ka Khwab, an adaptation of Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion in 2004.

He had been the host of the popular TV show Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai, in which he interviewed many Bollywood celebrities. His sense of humour and direct humble approach was the USP of the show.

What is less known about Farooque Shaikh 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 of the polio vaccine.