Farooq Jafar (1935-2021) was a veteran Indian actress, best known for being the first announcer of Akashvani Lucknow. She was also known for her improvisational performances in many hit Bollywood films such as Umrao Jaan (1981), Swades (2004), Peepli Live (2010), Sultan (2016) and Gulabo Sitabo (2020). She died in October 2021 at the age of 88 due to a brain stroke.
Wiki/Biography
Farooq Jafar was born in 1935 (at the age of 88) in the village of Chaksar in the Jainpur district of the United Provinces of British India (now Uttar Pradesh, India). Raised in a feudal family in Jainpur, Jafar developed a keen interest in art and literature at an early age. She was an avid cinema goer from a young age, always keeping an eye out for new releases. After getting married at the age of thirteen, she gave birth to two daughters. Jafar came to Lucknow from the rural suburbs as a teenager and endeared herself to her in-laws with her charming manners. While in Lucknow, Jafar graduated from Lucknow University. Although she did what every Indian woman did, such as cooking, cleaning, and other household chores, she always had a passion for the performing arts, which made her one of India’s most versatile method actresses.
family
Farrukh Jaffar was born into a family of Zamindars in Jaunpur. In 1948, she married Syed Muhammad Jaffar, an Indian freedom fighter and renowned journalist who later became a member of the Congress party’s MLC in Uttar Pradesh. Jaffar left behind two daughters, Mehru Jaffer, a published author and journalist, and Shaheen, who ran a school.
Profession
radio
It was the early 60s and Jafar had just graduated from Lucknow University and by chance, she got a job as an announcer at All India Radio Lucknow in 1963. Jafar accompanied one of her friends to the radio station for an audition and after seeing the studio, microphones and the studio, Jafar was so fascinated that she asked the then producer, GM Shaw, a family friend, if she could also audition and after the audition, she was selected on the spot along with Parveen Talha and one Mr. Sinha and the rest is history. Farooq Jafar later became the first announcer of Akashwani Radio Lucknow. Talking about this in an interview, she said,
I don’t know why people call me the first woman radio announcer. I was the first woman announcer when Vividh Bharti Radio started in Lucknow. We were chosen as the first announcers along with Parveen Talha and a guy called Sinhaji.”
While working as an announcer at Akashvani Lucknow, she wrote several dramas and played these roles on television. One of her most popular shows, Geeton Bhari Kahani, was a fusion of novels and Bollywood songs. Another show of Jaffar, Panchrangi program, was also very popular. Jaffar became a household name with her witty sayings –
“Aap ab suniye all india radio ka panchrangi show akashwani”
Jafar worked at Akashwani Lucknow till 1966, when she moved to Delhi, where her husband worked as a reporter at Chicago Daily News and later at The Washington Post. Jafar’s love for theatre and cinema led her to Vividh Bharti in Delhi, where she met Manzoor Ramin (the station director) who immediately offered her a job and she joined Vividh Bharti at All India Radio, Delhi. Soon, she was promoted to the most senior anchor of Urdu External Service and worked there till 1970. Due to some family reasons, she quit her job at AIR, Delhi and returned to her hometown. In an interview, she spoke about this. She said:
Delhi humko raas nahi aai. Kuch gharelu masle the… So, I had to go to Chakesar (Jaunpur) to find my mother to pack my grandmother’s things. ”
Theatre and drama
Farooq Jafar attended several acting workshops with Ibrahim Alkazi, one of the most renowned directors at the National School of Drama in Delhi and one of the most influential stage directors and drama teachers of the 20th century. Under Ibrahim Alkazi’s guidance, Jafar played the role of a mother in the Urdu translation of Luigi Pirandello’s Italian play Six Characters in Search of an Author.
television
Farrukh Jaffar is also known for his roles in several popular TV series like ‘Husn-e-Jana’, ‘Adha Gaon’, ‘The Shawl’ and ‘Neem Ka Ped’ (1991).
Movie
Farooq Jafar started her Bollywood career in 1981 when she played Rekha’s mother in the film Umrao Jaan. She got the role by accident while imitating a man from Jafar’s village, Purdir Kaka, who used to speak in a ‘dehati’ (village) dialect and address people with unique names like Kalia, Bahwa and Banmanus. During a family gathering, she improvised Purdir Kaka’s accent in her own way and was spotted by Muzaffar Ali who immediately invited her to play a role in his film Umrao Jaan. Initially, she was skeptical about pursuing a career in Bollywood, but her love for Bollywood films made her decide to try her hand at acting. In an interview, she confided her favourite line from Umrao Jaan –
जनेक्यरढूँढतीरहतीहैयेआँखें…. “
After making her debut in Umrao Jaan, she was offered Swades (2004) 23 years later. In Swades, she played the role of “Panch Fatima Bi” to great acclaim. In an interview, while talking about Swades, Jafar fondly recalled one of her famous lines from the film –
उस छोकरे से कहनररर्र “पिघल
Farouk Jafar of Swad (far right)
After Swades, she went on to star in many popular Bollywood films such as Aamir Khan’s Peepli Live, Prakash Jha’s Chakravyuh, Salman Khan’s Sultan and Kangana Ranaut, starring Tanu Marrying Manu. She also received critical acclaim for films such as Parched (2015), Barefoot to Goa (2013) and Amma Ki Boli (2012). In 2013, she starred in the film Anwar Ka Ajab Qissa alongside Nawazuddin Siddiqui; the film was directed by Buddhadeb Dasgupta, a renowned poet, essayist, novelist and filmmaker. Of all her performances, Farrukh Jaffar is best known for her role as “Amma” in Peepli Live. The character of Amma, who smokes bidis and utters abusive words, has become one of the most loved characters in the film.
Farrukh Jaffar in Peepli Live
She was also nominated for the Apsara Award for Best Supporting Actor for her role as ‘Amma’ in Peepli Live. Farrukh has also acted in many notable films such as The House Next Door (2017), Secret Superstar (2017) and Photographs (2019). In 2019, she acted in Sandeep Kumar’s film Mehrunissa, which was her first film as a lead.
Sandeep Kumar and Farrukh Jaffar shooting for the film Mehrunissa in Lucknow
Farrukh Jaffar received acclaim for her performance in the Bollywood film Gulabo Sitabo, in which she played the role of ‘Begum’ alongside superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
Farrukh Jaffar in Gulabo Sitabo
Favorites
die
On October 15, 2021, 88-year-old Farrukh Jaffar died of a brain stroke at his home in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow.
Facts/Trivia
- Farouk Jafar is also known as Farouk Jaffer and Farouk Jaffer.
- When she came to Lucknow as a teenage bride, she used to sneak up on rooftops to listen to the loudspeakers on jeeps announcing the latest movie releases, as brides were not allowed on rooftops or streets in those days. Once, in the process, she accidentally dropped a brick on her eight-year-old brother-in-law’s head.
- After marriage she continued her studies and graduated from Lucknow University.
- Jafar’s job as an announcer at All India Television Lucknow was a breakthrough in her life.
- She started her career as a radio announcer purely as a hobby because she is talkative and loves to connect with people.
- When Jafar started her career as a radio announcer in Lucknow, her youthful voice and charm attracted the masses.
- She was in awe of the city of Lucknow, where she had spent more than five decades of her life. She once quoted this about Lucknow:
I have lived in the “new” Lucknow (Naya) all my life, away from the old city – Hazratganj, lived in Lawrence Terrace for over 40 years and now live in Gomti Nagar…tab to yahan kuch bhi nahi tha!”
- Although Farooq Jafar had no formal training, she was an A1 broadcaster in India during the 1960s and 1970s.
- After quitting her job at Delhi Airlines, she became the village head of Chakesar village in Jaunpur district where she got an opportunity to interact with people and resolve their daily disputes.
- She is very close to Rekha, a famous Bollywood actress who plays Jafar’s daughter in Umaro Jaan. At a private party in Mumbai, Rekha introduced Jafar to everyone present and told them-
Honey.”
Farrukh Jaffar and Rekha
- She considers Muzaffar Ali as her godfather, who spotted her talent and cast her in a role in her debut film Umrao Jaan.
- Reportedly, she never knocked on any film producer’s door, nor did she ever have a publicist do so.
- Farouk was known for her impromptu speeches, which had a country feel and became her specialty and trademark.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education