Remembering Farooq Shaikh 1948-2013

Source;Wikipedia
Farooq Sheikh (25 March 1948 − 27 December 2013) is best known for his work in Hindi films from 1977 to 1989 and for his work in television between 1988 and 2002. He returned to acting in films in 2008 and continued to do so until his death on 27 December 2013. His major contribution was in Parallel Cinema or the New Indian Cinema. He worked with directors like Satyajit Ray, Muzaffar Ali, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Ketan Mehta.
In his early days, he was active in theatre, doing plays with IPTA and with well-known directors like Sagar Sarhadi. In 1973, while Farooq was in his final year of law school, MS Satyu approached him for Satyu's directorial debut Garam Hawa. His first major film role was in the 1973 film Garam Hawa, where Farooq 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, Bazaar, Saath Saath, Rang Birangi, Kissi Se Na Kehna(1983) and Biwi Ho To Aisi(1988).

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 seven films such as Chashme Buddoor, Katha, Saath Saath, Kissi se Na Kehna, Rang Birangi, Tell Me Oh Khuda and Listen... Amaya.
He also did a slightly negative role in Katha. However, his films between 1985 and 1997 were not successful at the box office, beginning with Yash Chopra's Faasle in 1985.
In the late 90s, Farooq Sheikh 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 his onscreen pair Deepti Naval Playing his wife. Aha on Zee, Chamatkar on Sony and Ji Mantriji on Star plus are a few among them. 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 Cahttopadhyay's novel. Sheikh also had a cameo in Life OK's Do Dil Ek Jaan, where he was seen as the heroine's father in the initial few episodes.
Farooq Sheikh died of a heart attack on 27 December 2013 in Dubai, where he was on holiday with his family. His funeral prayers, held in Mumbai at Millat Nagar Mosque on 30 December 2013 in the evening, were attended by many personalities, including Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi. He was buried in Muslim Qabristan, Four Bungalows, Andheri West. His grave is next to his mother's grave.