Sholay, one of the most impactful films made in India, completes its 50 years in a few weeks. The Ramesh Sippy directorial is one of those rare films where the audience remembers every dialogue by every character even now. Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, Amjad Khan, Jaya Bachchan played the lead roles here but actors like Asrani, Jagdeep, Mac Mohan, AK Hangal, Viju Khote who played supporting roles here are also remembered for their contribution in the creation of the classic. Jagdeep, who played Soorma Bhopali, in the film is still remembered for his dialogue, “Humara naam Soorma Bhopali aise hi nahi hai.” But his long and tumultuous journey from being a child selling soap on the streets, who had to fish out bread crumbs from a pool of rat faeces, to becoming one of the most loved comedians is worth remembering.
Jagdeep was one of ten siblings and was born near Gwalior in the pre-Partition days. After his father’s passing, his mother took him to Karachi as two of her sons lived there but unfortunately, the Partition was upon them and Jagdeep and his mother decided to come back to Bombay. Here, Jagdeep’s older brother abandoned them and left them to fend for themselves. With no money in their pockets and no clothes on their back, they had to resort to living on the streets. “My father saw the bloodshed in the trains, the riots… When he came to Bombay, somehow there was no connect with his brothers. He lived on the streets with his mother,” his son Jaaved Jaaferi shared with Rediff a few years ago.
Jagdeep became known as Soorma Bhopali after Sholay. (Photo: Express Archives)
Jagdeep lived under a bridge in the Byculla area and would sell soaps, kites, and made whatever little money they could. His mother worked at an orphanage as a cook, and he did whatever little odd jobs he could find. Jaaved, in the same interview, shared that when they didn’t have any money, a bakery would sell them bread crumbs collected from the floor, and that would be filled with rat and cockroach faeces. “When they did not have money, a bakery would sell the bread crumbs fallen on the floor for one paisa in a newspaper. But before eating, they had to take out the rat and cockroach sh*t from the crumbs,” he said.
Jagdeep first chanced upon film work when someone was looking for kids for BR Chopra’s Afsana. He jumped when he learnt that he would make Rs 3 after working in the film. On set, he learnt that anyone who could speak in Urdu would get Rs 6 and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Until then, Jagdeep had never even seen a film. His son, Naved Jaaferi, later shared with SCREEN, “He would smile at this memory, ‘Uss waqt khaane ko paise nahin hote the, film kya khaak dekhte’ (At that time, I hardly had money to eat, forget spending on a film).”
Jagdeep was born with the name Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jaffery but he never knew who gave him his screen name. On set, he was called Munna. After Afsana, he worked in a few more films like Do Bigha Zamin, Chalis Baba Ek Chor, Aar Paar, Munna as a child actor. Such were his skills that once Dilip Kumar gave him Rs 100 because he was so impressed with his performance. He was once invited by then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the screening of Hum Panchhi Ek Daal Ke and while every child artiste got a gift from him, there was no gift for Jagdeep. This is when Nehru gave him his walking stick. “This is very dear to me, but now, it’s for you,” he said.
Jagdeep passed away in 2020. (Photo: Express Archives)
Jagdeep continued to appear in many films but never made it as a leading actor but a supporting role in Sholay gave him a role of a lifetime. Writers Salim-Javed recommended him for the role. “From what I know, Javed saab used to be good at mimicry and he wanted Soorma Bhopali to speak not like a typical Bhopali man but actually like a blabbering Bhopali woman to achieve a heightened sense of comic effect. The conceit worked,” Naved shared in the same chat.
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The character was instantly popular, along with everything else in Sholay and a few years later, when Jagdeep made his directorial debut, he called the film Soorma Bhopali. In his later years, he appeared in films like Purana Mandir, Andaz Apna Apna but it was his role in Sholay that became his most popular calling card. Jagdeep passed away in 2020 at 81.
