For someone who grew up watching films starring this versatile actor, it is indeed sad to know that Saeed Jaffrey is no more. Jaffrey (January 8, 1929-November 15, 2015), as is well known, straddled disparate worlds (theatre, radio, theatre, television and films) and was a director's actor who excelled in films across the art-commercial spectrum. As actor Om Puri put it: "Look at his range of work...It was staggering. He worked with Satyajit Ray, Raj Kapoor, John Huston, Sai Paranjpye, David Lean and Yash Chopra. He enjoyed his work thoroughly, and it showed." Adds actor Deepti Naval, who worked with him in the films Ek Baar Phir and Chashme Buddoor: "When Saaed arrived, he looked around the crowded area, spotted a man walking by in a lungi with the Taj Mahal printed on it. He decided his character Lalan Miyan would wear that lungi. He made that man take off the lungi and wore it. That's how I'd like to remember Saeed. Vivacious and exuberant as an actor. When he wanted something, he would get it anyhow."
When Saeed Jaffrey wanted something he would get it anyhow
He began his career in theatre and ended up working on more than 100 Bollywood productions and earned a BAFTA nomination for his role in My Beautiful Laundrette.
Of the films (starring Saeed) that I watched, I particularly remember his performances in Shatranj ke Khiladi, Chashme Budoor, Masoom, My Beautiful Laundrette, Gandhi, and Sardar to name a few. What makes them memorable for me is the ease with which he performed those roles, showcasing his range of talent in an understated yet brilliant manner.
To me, Jaffrey was not only a consummate actor but also the first Indian who successfully did the crossover to Western cinema much before the word became fashionable in India.
Here is a scene from Shatranj ki Khiladi that I would like to leave you with:
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