'Sholay' Actor & Jaaved Jaaferi's Father Jagdeep Passes Away At 81; Ajay Devgn Mourns His Demise

Veteran actor Jagdeep, who stared his career as a child artist, passed away at the age of 81.

New Delhi: Veteran Bollywood actor Jagdeep, who featured in more than 400 films, passed away on Wednesday (July 8) in Mumbai. He was 81. The actor was fondly known for playing the role of Soorma Bhopali in Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan starrer ‘Sholay’. His original name was Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jafri. Ajay Devgn, who will be next seen in 'Bhuj: The Pride Of India', offered his condolence to Jagdeep's family. The 'Singhma' actor tweeted, "Heard the sad news of Jagdeep Saab’s demise. Always enjoyed watching him on screen. He brought so much joy to the audience. My deepest condolences to Jaaved and all members of the family. Prayers for Jagdeep Saab’s soul."

"Sad to hear demise of the Veteran Actor Jagdeep Sir who entertained us for 7 Decades. My heartfelt condolences to Javed, Naved and the entire Jafri Family & Admirers. RIP," director Madhur Bhandarkar wrote on the micro-blogging site.

Tusshar Kapoor tweeted,"RIP Jagdeep Saab! Millions of us grew up watching your brilliance on screen! Thank you for the legacy, thank you for the laughs, too!"

Jagdeep was also known for his appearances in several horror films including 'Purana Mandir' and 'Saamri'. The talented actor started his career as a child artist in B. R. Chopra's 'Afsana'. He later went to do movies like 'Ab Dilli Door Nahin, 'Aar Paar', 'Do Bigha Zamin' and 'Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke'. Former President of India Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru gifted his personal staff to the veteran actor for his power-packed performance in the movie 'Hum Panchi Ek Daal Ke'. Fans paid tribute to Jagdeep on Twitter by sharing his throwback pictures from films. Check out the tweets!

Jagdeep was facilitated with the award for Outstanding Contribution To Indian Cinema at IIFA Awards 2019 in Mumbai.

Bollywood actor Jaaved Jaaferi and TV producer Naved Jafri are Jagdeep's sons. His grandson Meezaan Jaffery made his Bollywood debut with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Malaal', which released last year. On the professional front, Jagdeep was last seen in 'Gali Gali Chor Hai'. The film starred Akshaye Khanna, Shriya Saran and Mugdha Godse in the lead roles. His funeral will take place on Thursday (July 9) morning. It will be attended by family members and close friends. We extend our deepest condolences to Jagdeep's family.