Farrukh Jaffar, the veteran Hindi actor who was last seen in the role of Fatima Begum, wife of Amitabh Bachchan’s Mirza in Gulabo Sitabo, died on Friday at a hospital in Lucknow. She was 89.
Speaking to PTI, Jaffar’s elder daughter Mehru Jafar said her mother was admitted to Sahara hospital on October 4 due to breathlessness. Her lungs were unable to take the oxygen provided to her and she passed away Friday evening, she added.
Jaffar’s grandson Shaaz Ahmad shared the news of her demise on social media. He wrote, “My grandmother and wife of freedom fighter, ex MLC Mr SM Jaffar, and veteran actress Mrs Farrukh Jafar passed away today at 7 pm in Lucknow.”
The veteran actor’s last rites will be performed on Saturday at Aishbagh Kabristan.
Jaffar was one of the first radio announcers of Vividh Bharti Lucknow in 1963. She started her film career in 1981 with director Muzaffar Ali’s film, Umrao Jaan, in which she played the role of mother to the character essayed by actor Rekha. Following her film debut, Jaffar acted in several television shows.
It was only in 2004 that she starred in her second film, Swades, which starred Shah Rukh Khan in the lead.
Jaffar has appeared in several notable films, including Peepli Live, Aligarh, Sultan, and Tanu Weds Manu. However, she is best known for her role in filmmaker Shoojit Sircar‘s Gulabo Sitabo, which won her a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Character.
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Soon after news of the actor’s demise broke, screenwriter Juhi Chaturvedi, who penned Gulabo Sitabo, paid tribute to the late actor on social media. “Begum is gone. Farrukh ji, there was no one, and there will be no one like you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing us to connect with you. Please stay safe in the other world of Allah,” she wrote on Instagram.