Soorma Bhopali will no longer be swindling the locals on the price of timber or conspiring with Jai and Veeru to arrange their arrest, and pocket half of the reward money.
He will probably be now telling tall tales of how he caught and bashed up Jai and Veeru barehanded...on the other side.
Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jafri, known by his screen name Jagdeep (1939-2020) passed away late at his home on July 8th, 2020. He was 81.
He is survived by his multi-talented sons, Javed Jaafery, Naved Jaafery, and daughter Muskaan Jaffrey, among others.
Jagdeep joins Samba, Kaalia, Thakur, Gabbar, RD Burman, Anand Bakshi and others in Sholay heaven.
Role of a lifetime
Jagdeep reportedly starred in a staggering 400 films, and Soorma Bhopali remains his most memorable character.
I had the privilege of catching Sholay in 3D on the big screen, and back then I had mentioned just how good Jagdeep and Asrani were in their roles, providing comic relief before it got all macho and gun-mad.
Reel versus real life
Jagdeep is said to have picked up the accent and unique speech nuances from the real Soorma Bhopali.
As luck would have it, he had a chance encounter with the real Bhopali a few years after Sholay became a mega success.
The character's enduring appeal was such that Jagdeep played the character again in Soorma Bhopali (1988), featuring guest acts by Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan.
The film journey
Jagdeep debuted as a child artist, just like the recently deceased choreographer Saroj Khan, in the Ashok Kumar starring Afsana (1951).
He did many bits roles over the next three decades before achieving screen immortality with Sholay.
Another famous notable act was playing Bankelal Bhopali, Prem's (Salman Khan) hapless father in Rajkumar Santoshi's hilarious iconic comedy Andaz Apna Apna (1994).
Santoshi's China Gate (1998), inspired take on Sholay, Seven Samurai (1954) and The Magnificent Seven (1960), featured Jagdeep as Subedar Ramaiyah, among the ensemble cast.
Jagdeep may have passed on, but Soorma Bhopali will remain timeless, indelible and amazingly funny.
Thank you Soorma Bhopali for the joy and fun.
Rest in peace.
