After this character, people came to know him by the name of ‘Surma Bhopali’. This character became so popular that later an entire film called ‘Surma Bhopali’ was also made, which was directed by Jagdeep himself. Jagdeep was an artist who used to leave his mark. He used to get well in the hearts of the audience with his dialogue, facial gesture and tricky style.
Before becoming ‘Surma Bhopali’, Jagdeep had a long and struggle journey. His real name was Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jafri. He was born on 29 March 1939 in a small town named Datia in Madhya Pradesh. His father was a barrister. After the death of the father, the condition of the house worsened. Jagdeep was very young at that time. His mother started running a house by making loaves in the orphanage of Mumbai. Seeing his mother working hard, Six -year -old Jagdeep decided to earn and started selling comb, soap and toys on the streets of Mumbai. While selling the goods, a person caught sight of him and offered to work in the film.
This is how the beginning
Actually, at that time BR Chopra needed child artists for a scene from the film ‘Afsana’. Many children were brought for this scene, including Jagdeep. He worked only in this film, because by selling goods, he could earn only one or a half rupees a day, while on the set he was getting only three rupees for clapping. It was from here that his film journey started.
After this, he played small, but memorable roles in films like ‘Do Bigha Zameen’, ‘Munna’, ‘Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke’, and, ‘R Paar’. He was also honored by the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru for his brilliant performance in ‘Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke’.
Participated with Nanda
AVM Production launched him as a hero in films like ‘Bhabhi’, ‘Barkha’ and ‘Bindiya’. In these films, he played a straightforward boy. The song ‘Chal Ud Ja Re Panchi’ from the film ‘Bhabhi’ still remembers people, in which he appeared with actress Nanda. But when he did a comedy in Shammi Kapoor’s film ‘Brahmachari’, the audience admitted that he is a tremendous comedian more than the hero. After this, he made his mark as a comedian.
Jagdeep became another name for humor in films in the 1960s and 70s. He entertained the audience through many films like ‘Teen Bahuraniyaan’, ‘Toy’, ‘Jeene Ki Raha’, ‘Gora and Kala’, ‘Humanity’, ‘Chala Murari Hero Bane’. You will be surprised to know that he also played the role of a villain in films. Serius and negative roles were also played in films like ‘Shikwa’, ‘Dhobi Doctor’, ‘Mandir-Masjid’. He was also considered the favorite face of the horror films of Ramsay Brothers. His characters were well liked in ‘Purana Mandir’ and ‘3D Samari’.
Stay connected for 70 years From movies
After being associated with films for nearly 70 years, Jagdeep worked in his last film ‘Masti Nahi Cheap’ in 2017, in which he was accompanied by actors like Johnny Lever, Kader Khan, Shakti Kapoor and Ravi Kishan. Jagdeep breathed his last at his home in Mumbai on 8 July 2020 at the age of 81. Today, even though he is not among us, his work, his humor and his play ‘Surma Bhopali’ are still alive in everyone’s hearts.