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Mr. Nice Guy
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Farooque Shaikh talks about his dream roles
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Vintage actor Farooque Shaikh is proud to be part of `art film movement' Photo: K. Ramesh Babu
Farooque Shaikh is now into the middle of his fourth decade as an actor. He has been many things to many viewers, at many times. The romantic hero of Noorie, the irrepressible cad in Katha and the brooding Nawab of Umrao Jaan: Shaikh has played each role to perfection but yet has never been included in the same breath as his contemporaries Naseeruddin Shah or Om Puri.
Today's viewers are more familiar with his genial, cherubic TV host persona of Jeena Isi Ka Naam on Zee TV, gently nudging celebrity actors into remembering their past. Farooque settles down to sharing his own long and eventful past.His first film role came in '72, when he was just out of college and a member of the IPTA (Indian People's Theatre Association), which spearheaded the vibrant theatre movement of the '70s.
M.S. Sathyu, who was with IPTA and setting out to make Garam Hawa, didn't look too far for casting. "We were more his victims than his discoveries," remarks Shaikh, "and he made full use of the cheap in-house talent available for his first film!"
In fact, Shaikh has had the privilege of being directed by all the top names of the '70s - Muzaffar Ali, Sai Paranjpai, Satyajit Ray - but strangely never with Shyam Benegal. Benegal offered him Anant Nag's role in Ankur, but later retracted as Farooque looked younger than Shabana! But Shaikh is grateful that he was so much a part of the emerging and exciting art film movement of the '70s. He especially treasures his role in Ray's Shatranj ke Khilari, where he is Farida Jalal's lover who takes advantage of her husband's obsession with chess to sneak into her chambers. With the re-emergence of alternative cinema in the new multiplex culture, one asksFarooque if he sees roles for himself now. Films like Maqbool and Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi are reminiscent of the '70s film movement, but while Farooque says he would love to work with a Sudhir Mishra or Shaad Ali, he is being choosy and continues with just reading scripts.
"The problem is that I am doing what I don't want to do, and not doing what I want to do!" A natural code to all serious actors' careers would be to take up direction, but he dismisses the idea with a "No bheja", pointing to his brains. One gapesand he reiterates, "Honestly, no bheja." Not the right word. Throughout the interview, he has been attentive, courteous and patient. The innate decency and niceness of the man comes through in every gesture and word. As one stands up to leave, he says: "I like your kurta, it's very nice," and he clearly means it. What's a nice guy like you doing in films, Mr. Shaikh?
SANDYYA IYENGAR
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