Multifaceted India-born British actor Saeed Jaffrey's love for cinema can be judged through his inspirational journey from a theatre proprietor here to becoming one of the most versatile and effervescent artists across the globe.
Among his other achievements, he was the first Indian actor to stage plays by English-language masters including William Shakespeare.
Saeed died in London late on Saturday morning. he was 86.
He was married to co-actress and travel writer Mehrunima (Madhur Jaffrey), but they parted ways in 1965. Together they have three daughters Meera, Zia and Sakina - who is also an actress.
Saeed later married casting director Jennifer Irene Sorrell in 1980.
His niece Shaheen Aggarwal took to her Facebook account to share the news.
In a response to one of her posts, she wrote: "This is a message from my aunt for all you kind people: 'My darling husband Saeed died very peacefully on Saturday morning, in London, following a very sudden brain haemorrhage. I will miss Saeed enormously (we had been together forty-one years!) but I am comforted by the fact he had a wonderful life and a wonderful death. Thank you all for your kind wishes - Jennifer Jaffrey'".
Born in Malerkotla, Punjab, in 1929 in a Punjabi Muslim family, Saeed embarked on his career by starting up a theatre company called Unity Theatre in New Delhi in late 1950s.
He went on to found his own English language company, Unity Theatre, at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. He also staged plays by English-language masters including William Shakespeare and Tennessee Williams, thus making him first Indian actor to do so.
Thereafter, he went on to join filmdom and carved out his own niche in the industry through his powerful performances in films like “Shatranj Ke Khilari”, “Chashme Buddoor”, “Masoom”, “Mandi”, “Mashaal”, “Ram Teri Ganga Maili”, “Chaalbaaz”, “Ram Lakhan” and “Deewana Mastana”.
Saeed was best known to the international audience for his roles in films like “Gandhi”, “The Man Who Would Be King”, “A Passage to India”, “The Horsemen” and “The Wilby Conspiracy”, among others. He appeared regularly on the British small screen in shows like “Gangsters”, “The Jewel in the Crown”, “Common as Muck” and “Coronation Street”.
He has worked with many well-known Indian and international filmmakers like Shekhar Kapur, Shyam Benegal, Raj Kapoor, Subhash Ghai, John Huston, James Ivory, David Lean, Richard Attenborough and Stephen Frears.
Saeed was among the first Asian actors to receive British and Canadian Academy Awards nominations. Among many honours and awards, Saeed was conferred with the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to drama, the first Indian to be honoured with the same.
It was Saeed's simplistic yet charming and inspirational personality that he showcased onscreen through his various characters, which made his fans and personalities across various fields “sad”.
Many big dignitaries including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Bollywood stars like Rishi Kapoor, Madhur Bhandarkar and Anupam Kher paid homage to the “fabulous” actor on Twitter on Monday.
A post on the official PMO Twitter handle about Saeed's demise read: “Saeed Jaffrey was a multifaceted actor whose flair and versatility will always be remembered. Deepest condolences on his passing away.”
Mamata Banerjee and Shivraj Singh Chouhan called Saeed's demise “End of an era” and a “big loss to the film industry”.
SAEED JAFFREY'S DEATH LEAVES B-TOWN, POLITICIANS SADDENED
Indian-born British actor Saeed Jaffrey, popular for movies like "Gandhi” and "Masoom", passed away at the age of 86 in London following a “sudden brain haemorrhage”. The news of his demise elicited numerous condolence messages from the film industry and politicians alike including Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling him a “multifaceted actor".
From his role as Sardar Patel in Richard Attenborough’s “Gandhi” to an indulgent nawab in “Shatranj Ke Khilari”, Saeed captured the essence of the character while exuding his distinct personality.
The news of his death came as a shock for everyone on social networking site Facebook.
Saeed's niece Shaheen Aggarwal shared the news through a post on Sunday that read: “Today, a generation of Jaffreys has passed away. Saeed Jaffrey has joined his brothers and sister and is rejoicing in the lap of his Heavenly Father, eternally.”
In a response to one of the comments on the post, Shaheen shared a message from his wife Jennifer Jaffrey and delved into details about his death.
The response read: “This is a message from my aunt for all you kind people: My darling husband Saeed died very peacefully on Saturday morning, in London, following a very sudden brain haemorrhage. I will miss Saeed enormously (we had been together forty one years!) but I am comforted by the fact he had a wonderful life and a wonderful death. Thank you all for your kind wishes. Jennifer Jaffrey”.
With expressions like “a multifaceted actor whose flair and versatility will always be remembered”, Modi expressed his “deepest condolences” on the official PMO Twitter handle.
In a career spanning over 40 years, Jaffrey carved a niche for himself as a serious as well as an ebullient actor with films like "Henna" (1991), "Masoom" (1983) and "Ram Teri Ganga Maili" (1985), “Chashme Buddoor” (1981), “Ram Lakhan” (1989), “Dil” (1990) and “Ajooba” (1991).
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also shared that losing the star, who brought shine to showbiz with his craft, is a big loss to the film industry, while West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the death means the “end of an era”.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore also mourned the loss by posting “Condolences on passing away of screen legend #SaeedJaffrey. His range and acting depth will be remembered for long”.
According to theguardian.com, Saeed's roots trace back to Punjab's Maler Kotla. He studied History to post-graduate level before embarking on a life in the theatre that took him to New Delhi, where he founded his own English language company, Unity Theatre.
He was married twice - first to co-actress and travel writer Mehrunima (Madhur Jaffrey), with whom he parted ways in 1965, and later to Jennifer, the casting agent whom he married in 1980.
Saeed Jaffrey and Madhur together have three daughters Meera, Zia and Sakina - who is also an actress. Among many honours and awards, Jaffrey was conferred with the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to drama, the first Indian to be so honoured.
Several members of the film fraternity paid tribute to the actor and reminisced about his popular films and the time spent with him.
Actor Anupam Kher tweeted: "Landed in London. Extremely saddened to know about the sad demise of Mr.Saeed Jaffrey. A very cultured, sophisticated and a great actor. RIP. Before 'Saaransh' I did a film 'Aagaman'. Saeed Bhai was my first international co-actor in it. He was extremely helpful and kind. Will miss him."
Director Shekhar Kapur, who worked with the noted actor in his directorial debut “Masoom", remembered Saeed Jaffrey as a kind man and for his zeal towards his profession.
During his stint on the silver screen, Jaffrey appeared in about 200 movies and TV shows both on home ground and on international shores. He was credited with films like “The Man Who Would Be King” and "A Passage to India". He was also part of TV series like“Gangster", “The Jewel in the Crown", “Common as Muck", and “Coronation Street".
His other noted works include “Sphinx", “My Beautiful Laundrette", “The Deceivers", “After Midnight", “On Wings of Fire" and "Chicken Tikka Masala". Saeed received a BAFTA nomination for “My Beautiful Laundrette".
