The last star of the first golden generation of comedians of the Indian cinema, Jagdeep Jaafery had bid farewell to us on July 8, 2020, in Mumbai and was laid down for the final peaceful sleep at Mazgaon cemetery on the afternoon of July 9, 2020. The exceptional actor and comedian, who had played tons of memorable characters in his six decades-long Bollywood career in which he had acted in almost 400 films, was simply a gem of the Indian cinema. His son, actor Jaaved Jaaferi is a commendable comic himself and is one of the finest actors of the Indian cinema. (Recommended Read: Shivin Narang Celebrates Rumoured GF, Sonali Kukreja's Birthday At Home, Fans Wonder What's Brewing)
In an interview with PTI, Jaaved Jaaferi talked at a stretch about his father, Jagdeep Jaafery's filmy career, his recognition as a comic artist and anecdotes from his celebrated career. Jaaved told PTI that his favourite thing about his father was his ability to instantly connect with people from every stratum of society through his comedy. Jagdeep entered the world of cinema to earn a living at a young age. Scroll down to know more!
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Jaaved Jaafery recalled his father, Jagdeep Jaafery's sheer brilliance and was quoted as saying, The producer or the director would tell my father, the scene is not written but you are Jagdeep and you can do anything! What could he do? He was brilliant at improvising. He would keep the context same, but make it funnier with the lines he came up with." He also remembered how as a child actor, Jagdeep could cry without using glycerin and that had impressed veteran actor Dilip Kumar. Sharing an anecdote when Dilip kumar had asked for child actor, Jagdeep's autograph, Jaaved said, "There was the mahurat shot of the film Footpath. My dad was playing young Dilip Kumar sahab and he gave a shot and cried. Dilip Sahab gave him Rs 10 or something. He later dropped my father in his car at Mahim where my father was staying in a chawl and Dilip Sahab asked for his autograph."
Jagdeep Jaafery was oblivious to critics. An instance of which Jaaved gave when he recalled an incident when a film critic had called Jagdeep's comedy loud and garish. It had upset Jaaved but his father, Jagdeep, was unfazed and had even dismissed the criticism. Explaining the incident, Jaaved said, "He told me my audience is that 80 per cent of India which lives through poverty. These people are simple and just want to laugh. They don't want complex things. I work for that simple man. He was a peoples person, and his objective was to bring laughter to his audience."
Jaaved further talked about his father's ardent interest in poetry and shared, "My father loved poets and poetry like (Mirza Ghalib's) 'Deewan-e-Ghalib', Faiz (Faiz Ahmed Faiz) sahab and others. He was fond of reading history but not the one that is taught in schools… Even though he wasn't educated, he attempted and always wanted to gain knowledge in whatever way he could. He would observe people from the streets and the way they spoke while he lived on the streets as a child. That gave him a lot for his performances." (Also Read: Amitabh Bachchan Savagely Hits Back At An Anonymous Troll Who Had Wished Him To Die With COVID-19)
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Discussing his father's transition in comedy, Jaaved shared that Jagdeep was signed for five years by AVM productions and had worked as a leading man in films such as Bhabhi and Barkha, but something had gone wrong, and he had missed opportunities, propelling his eventual shift to comedy. In his words, "He did whatever respectable work came his way. The shift in comedy happened with 'Bramachari', before that he was a hero and had some good songs as a leading man. (So) He did serious roles and then adapted to comedy. As a comedian, you are limited if the scenes are not written. When he did 'Sholay', he was very happy as he saw a well-written script and character." Jaaved Jaaferi also expressed his gratitude and said he was moved by the outpouring of love from the industry and his fans for his father, who has left behind a memorable legacy of 70 years in Hindi cinema. (Don't Miss: 'Dilbar' Girl, Nora Fatehi Reveals That She Cannot Wait To Start Her Family And Have Her Own Kids)
Jagdeep Jaafery was indeed, a gem!
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