Veteran actor Farruk Jafar, popular for her roles in Gulabo Sitabo and Sultan, passed away at the age 89 on Friday at a hospital in Lucknow. Her elder daughter Mehru Jafar said that her mother was unwell and was admitted to Sahara Hospital earlier this month.
On October 4, she was admitted to the hospital due to breathlessness. Her lungs were unable to take the oxygen that had been given to her. According to a tabloid, Mehru said that her mother passed away in the evening at around 6 pm. Jafar’s grandson Shaaz Ahmad also shared the news of her demise on Twitter. He wrote, “My grandmother and wife of Freedom fighter, Ex MLC Mr SM Jaffar and Veteran Actress Mrs Farrukh Jafar passed away today at 7 pm in Lucknow.”As per reports, her last rites will be performed on Saturday morning.
Jaffer was one of the first radio announcers of Vividh Bharti Lucknow in 1963, and began her on screen journey with the 1981 classic Umrao Jaan, in which she played Rekha’s mother. Later, she appeared in some TV shows but found further fame with the 2004 Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Swades.
Some of her other popular roles were in Aamir Khan-backed Peepli Live, in which she essayed the role of a bidi-smoking cantankerous mother-in-law and Salman Khan-led Sultan, in which she featured as the superstar’s uber-cool grandmother. She also played Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s grandmother in Photograph.
But her most memorable performance was in Gulabo Sitabo, where she played the role of Fatima Begum, wife of megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s character. The film was directed by Shoojit Sircar. In an interview with a tabloid, she expressed her happiness regarding the appreciation she was receiving for her performance in the film.
Screenwriter Juhi Chaturvedi, who penned Gulabo Sitabo, also paid tribute to Jafar. “Begum is gone Farrukh ji, there was no one, and there will be no one like you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing us to connect with you. Please stay safe in the other world of Allah. RIP #FarrukhJaffar #Begum #FattoBi #FatimaBegum #GulaboSitabo”, she wrote on Instagram, alongside a picture of the actor.
Jafar was married to journalist-politician Syed Muhammad Jaffar, and is survived by daughters — Mehru and Shaheen.
