Bollywood actor Farooque Shaikh dies in Dubai

Mumbai: Veteran Bollywood actor  Farooque Shaikh died following a cardiac arrest in Dubai late on Friday, his friends and co-stars have confirmed

Shaikh , known for his roles in Chashme Budoor and Saath Saath, was 65.

Satish Shah told IANS: “I got a call from his wife. She said it was a massive heart attack. He passed away last night. He was hale and hearty and he had taken his family to Dubai for holidays. All I can say is I have lost a great friend.”

Sources tell Gulf News Shaikh suffered from a weak heart but preferred not to talk about it. Shaikh made a public appearance in Dubai on December 13, when he compered a performance by Asha Bhosle that also featured an appearance by actress Rekha. He died while on a personal visit to Dubai and not for a concert, as earlier reported.

“I spoke to Shabana Azmi who was also aware of the sad, shocking and unbelievable news,” co-star Deepthi Naval told IANS.

“It is unbelievable. I am in a state of shock. He is one of the finest actors in the film industry. He is the one who has always encouraged me to work,” a teary Naval told IANS. Shaikh had interacted with Naval two months ago at the Sharjah book fair.

“I just got a call from Shabana Azmi. She said he had a massive heart attack in Dubai. They will be getting his body to India. I am in Himachal right now. I am flying back to Mumbai,” she said.

She recalled the promise she and the late actor had made, and said: “After our last film Listen Amaya, Farooque and I had promised to each other that we will work together again and there were many films in the pipeline. We had decided to be in touch in terms of work.”

Born March 25, 1948, Shaikh started his Bollywood career in 1973 with the classic “Garm Hava” and later excelled in both parallel and mainstream cinema.

Over the years, he became known for his roles in films such as Satyajit Ray’s Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Umrao Jaan, Kissise Na Kehna, Noorie, and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani in which he played Ranbir Kapoor’s father. He was last seen in Club 60.

Shaikh  is renowned for his immense contribution to parallel cinema, low-budget high-quality movies, theatre and television — the last medium where he hosted a popular talk show, Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai.