Goodbye Soorma Bhopali: Comedian Jagdeep is no more

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. 

Goodbye Kaalia: Remembering Viju Khote (1941 - 2019)

"Tera kya hoga Kaalia?" 

(What will happen to you, Kaalia?) 

"Sardar, maine aap ka namak khaya hai." 

(Boss, I have been loyal to you. ("Have eaten your salt (namak)" implies loyalty.)

"Toh ab goli kha..." 

(Then eat a bullet now..)

(Gabbar presses the gun against Kaalia's forehead and presses the trigger...)

Approximately 44-odd years since he was shot dead onscreen playing henchman Kaalia to lunatic dacoit Gabbar Singh, veteran actor Viju Khote has finally found his peace. 

The 77-year-old actor, known to play bit roles in many Hindi and Marathi movies throughout his five-decade long career passed away yesterday due to multiple organ failure. Apart from Sambaa, Kaalia was the only other recognizable henchman from Gabbar's dacoit gang in Sholay.

Stereotyping & the death of an actor 
As it happens with many Hindi movie actors, Viju Khote was typecast to play the henchman in numerous other movies. Stereotyping an actor based on appearance and repeating a 'hit' character is a Hindi movie curse few actors emerge from and Khote couldn't either. Alas, for here was an actor capable of playing any shade, given the chance.

Galti se mistake ho gaya
Who can forget the bumbling henchman Robert in Rajkumar Santoshi's cult comedy Andaaz Apna Apna and his hilarious punchline,"Galti se mistake ho gaya." ("The mistake happened by mistake.") 

Also, watch his timing when he matches the amazing Paresh Rawal in the same movie with, "Cheene dalne ka time ho gaya sir?" ("Is it the right time to put in the sugar, sir?").

Last word: Andaaz Apna Apna sequel 
Andaaz Apna Apna director Rajkumar Santoshi spoke to the media on Khote's death, summing up Khote's unfulfilled career,"He was a fantastic actor with very good timing. No one could’ve played Robert like he did. He would drop by whenever he was in Juhu. I’m currently writing the second part of Andaz Apna Apna and had a role for him in mind. He didn’t get the roles he deserved.” 

Rest in peace Viju Khote, and thank you for Kaalia, Robert and many other wonderful characters. 

Sholay fans video recommendation!
Sholay fans, additional recommended viewing - Viju Khote's delightful cameo as Kaalia in Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge? (2010), watch out for his chemistry with Paresh Rawal in this Ajay Devgn-Konkana Sen Sharma comedy.   

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