Farrukh Jafar in a still of Gulabo Sitabo (courtesy primevideoin)
Strong points
- “I have heard that Begum is ahead of everyone in the film,” said the actress.
- “Such praise for my character makes me happy,” she added.
- “I will continue to play if I receive good offers,” she also said.
New Delhi:
At 88, actor Farrukh Jafar, whose stage flight becomes Fatto Begum in Gulabo Sitabo is the highlight of the film, has retained her childlike enthusiasm and her love for the camera, which she considers the secret behind her game. “I never feel nervous playing a role. I only see the camera and my role and nothing else. It’s my secret, “the actor told PTI by phone from Lucknow.
Jafar plays 95-year-old wife to Mirza, 78, of Amitabh Bachchan who awaits the death of his Begum to finally own Fatima Mahal, the abandoned mansion at the center of the conflict in the film streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Begum, with his rapid distribution and a penchant for Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, maintains close control over Mirza and is responsible for the surprise twist in the film in the final moments.
Jafar said director Shoojit Sircar and the writer Juhi Chaturvedi came to her house in Lucknow to offer her the role.
“I’m a big fan of Amitabh Bachchan. I was like ‘Wah! I’m going to work with a superstar. I had his romantic star image of Silsila, a tall and handsome guy but in this film his outfit was ugly. He was playing Mirza with a big nose and a big beard, “she said.
“Shoojit said to me ‘Please forget that he is Amitabh Bachchan. He is the greedy old Mirza and you are his wife, Fatto Begum’ ‘. I immediately understood what he wanted to say.”
The actor said she had hoped to speak to Bachchan on set, but the actor would disappear after doing his scenes.
One of Vividh Bharti Lucknow’s first radio presenters in 1963, Jafar made her acting debut with the 1981 film Umrao Jaan where she played Rekha’s mother.
After debuting, roles in TV shows beckoned, but it was Shah Rukh Khan-starrer’s 2004 film Swades which gave him an unforgettable second round in Bollywood. In 2010, she starred in Peepli Live where his blows loaded with explosives while the mother-in-law smoking the can made him an instant success. She followed up with roles in Salman Khan-starrer Sultan, Aamir Khan-featured Secret Superstar and Peepli Live co-star Nawazuddin Siddiqui Photograph.
Jafar said she also wanted to work with Irrfan Khan, but with the actor’s untimely death in April of this year, this is no longer possible. “I wanted to work with Irrfan but he left us early. I loved him very much. Nawazuddin is like my child. I met him during Peepli Live. No one recognized him at the time, but he became famous. I have to work with him again Photograph,” she says.
The actor credits radio for giving him a career as a performer. “I had a parent who needed a job. I told him I couldn’t do much, but I know someone on the radio, so I’ll take you there.mujhe vahan ka mahaul sideboard achha laga‘(I really liked the atmosphere there). I asked them if I could also read the script. They said I could. I started reading and learned later that I had been selected, “she recalls.
The actor is happy that his performance is appreciated. “Maine suna ki Begum baazi maar le jaati hai mein image. (I heard that Begum is ahead of everyone in the film). Such praise for my character makes me happy, “she added.
Jafar, who was married to journalist and politician Syed Muhammad Jaffar and has two daughters – Mehru and Shaheen, said her connection to the camera still drew her to the movies.
“I will continue to act if I receive good offers. When the camera is on, I forget everything,” she said, adding that some of her projects are currently stalled due to the plight of the coronavirus.
