Actor Jagdeep passed away on July 8, Wednesday in Mumbai. The actor is popular for playing the role of Soorma Bhopali in Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra’s Sholay. He was 81 years old. “He passed away at 8.30 pm at his residence in Bandra. He was not keeping well due to age-related issues” a close family friend, producer Mehmood Ali told the media. He was cremated at Iranian Shia Isna cemetery at Mazgaon, Mumbai.
Naved Jafri and Jaaved Jaafri, his two sons were present at the funeral. Due to the current situation prevailing in the country, the funeral happened at a cemetery in South Bombay following the protocol provided by the government. Actor-comedian Johnny Lever was also present at the funeral.
Jagdeep whose real name was Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jafri was born on March 29, 1939 in Amritsar. He acted in 400 films and was known for Soorma Bhopali in Sholay. New generation movie buffs would remember him as Salman’s father in Andaz Apna Apna directed by Rajkumar Santoshi.
Jagdeep began his filmy journey as a child artist in BR Chopra’s movie Afsana featuring Pran, Veena and Ashok Kumar. He has also worked in KA Abbas’s Munna, Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zamin, Guru Dutt’s Aar Paar, Raj Kapoor’s production Ab Dilli Door Nahi and Hum Panchi EK Dal Ke produced by AVM as a child artist. He made his mark in the movies including Bhabhi and Barkha. Jagdeep’s golden period started with GP Sippy’s Brahmachari, featuring Shammi Kapoor. His comic role in the film was appreciated by all. He played the roles of comedy man throughout the seventies, eighties and nineties. He was a familiar face in Indian cinema at that time.
He was last seen in 2017 comedy film Masti Nahi Sasti. The film featured Kader Khan, Johnny Lever, Shakti Kapoor and Prem Chopra and was filmed by Ali Abbas Chaudhary.
