Farooque Sheikh a man who spent 40 years in the glamour wold and yet the number of films he has been part of, is less than 40, shows how detached he is from the glamour. He was one of those, who believes in quality than quantity. As obvious from the list of films he had done, the understanding he had for cinema as an art. He is a genuine outcome of theatre. An artist who acts in such a way that it feels that he isn’t acting rather breathing the character.
I use to like him from the very first time when I watched him in Shrikant, back in my childhood. As soon as I started understanding the cinema, I watched his many more flicks like Garam Hawa, Shatranj ke Khiladi, Katha, Umrao Jaan, to name a few. But the film which make me his ardent fan is Chashme Buddoor. The famous Miss Chamko scene is sparked with a fantastic chemistry between the leading duo and the simplicity and vulnerability Farooque’s character have. The film went on to become the classic cult, just because of his in depth portrayal of middle class youth. The nuances he brings in the character and change of mannerisms while talking to friends, girl and the Paanwala is spectacular.
Somewhere down the line I feel that he is one of the most underrated actor. While in mainstream cinema Bachchan was ruling the game and Naseer was at his peak in parallel cinema, Farooque gets overshadow. Otherwise he has the charm in his personality to woo the leading lady and intensity to pull of serious character, he could easily be the next Dilip Kumar or Rajesh Khanna. But may be his own personal choice or demand of the market, whatever restricts him to just 30 plus films.
Well as there is no point of talking what he could do or be, let’s just remember one of the finest actor ever to grace the celluloid and pay some respect because Jeena isi ka naam hai
Rest in Peace Farooque Sahab
Mirage of my mind 