BHOPAL: Legendary film actor Jagdeep’s connection with Bhopal – and Madhya Pradesh - was much more than merely immortalising the character of ‘Soorma Bhopali’, essayed by him in the iconic film ‘Sholay’. Born in Datia in the state, he had produced a film ‘Soorma Bhopali’, which was extensively shot in Bhopal. One of the songs in the film described the beauty of the city of Lakes. He had also stayed in Bhopal for shooting of two films ‘Gali-Gali Mein Chor Hain’ (2012) and ‘Meri Life Partner’ (2009).
Jagdeep’s elder brother lives in the Fatehgarh area of the old city and his nephew runs a studio.
Jagdeep passed away at the age of 81 in Mumbai on Wednesday night. Well-known film actors, directors and writers from Bhopal, sharing their memories of Jagdeep with Free Press, said that he was a soft-spoken person whose real personality was in sharp contrast with the comic characters he played on the silver screen. He was a person with deep interest in Sufism and philosophy. Off-camera, no one ever saw him smiling or cracking jokes.
Excerpts:
Self-made man
I had a close association with Jagdeep Sahib. We had done many films and stage shows together in India and abroad. He was a self-made man in the real sense of the term. He had moved to Bombay when he was just eight or ten. He didn’t have the advantage of formal education and yet, he had an excellent command of language and a vast vocabulary. Unlike his screen image, he was a very serious kind of person. He had little interest in worldly matters and his conversations were about Sufism and philosophy. He was a hero, a comedian, a director, a producer, a writer, a dancer and a great mimic – all rolled into one. One specialty of his was his inimitable capacity to improvise his dialogues. Soorma Bhopali was on the screen for barely five minutes but the lasting impression the character left proves that a role is not big or small, actors are.
-Raza Murad, ace film actor
Treasure-trove of old tales
As Soorma Bhopali, he had become an ambassador of Bhopal or sorts. He was a treasure-trove of tales related to the giants of Hindi film world including Bimal Roy and Guru Dutt. In fact, I was planning to invite him to my home after the lockdown to record his memories of the great personalities of Hindi cinema. ‘Purane logon ke kisse sunane wala ab bacha hi kaun hai’. But alas, that was not to be. Once his dialogues were handed over to him, he used to change them to make them rhyming. As for dialogue delivery, he had no match and no artist could dub his dialogues. Jagdeep Bhai’s nephew (elder brother’s son) runs a studio in Bhopal. He had stayed at the Jehan Numa Palace Hotel in Bhopal during the shooting of two films directed by me – ‘Gali Gali Mein Chor Hai’ and ‘Meri Life Partner’.
- Rumi Jafri, noted film director and writer
Never tried to dominate others
He was a legend in his own right. He started off as nobody, became a leading man and then switched to comedy. He was kind-hearted and soft spoken and used to help others. He got work for many of his acquaintances in films, as cameramen, technicians, junior artistes and what not. I had acted with him in many films and he was a fantastic co-artist. Though very talented, he never tried to dominate others. Though he had never visited Bhopal before he played the role of Soorma Bhopali, but later he visited the city many times.
- Javed Khan, renowned film and TV actor
