Google on Sunday remembered late actor Farooq Sheikh on his 70th birth anniversary with a doodle styled on hand-painted movie posters of the 1970s, and especially his “Umrao Jaan”.
Born on this day in 1948, Farooq grew up in Mumbai, in a simple, middle-class household. Though he studied law, continued to dabble in theatre on the side and eventually decided to give acting a go.
Starting with “Garam Hawa” in 1973, Farooq essayed myriad roles in his career, and won over movie buffs with his shy smile in “Chashme Buddoor”, superb comedic timing in “Kissi Se Na Kehna”, and his helplessness and loss in “Bazaar”.
He had a wide portfolio in the theatre space, especially with the play “Tumhari Amrita” with Shabana Azmi. It delighted audiences for over two decades. TV audiences also loved him, be it for his humility in “Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai” or for his comic wit in “Chamatkar”.
The Google doodle, by Nimit Malavia, features the wide-eyed romantic hero of the 1970’s mature into a comfortingly familiar TV presence of the 1990s, bridging the gap between mainstream and arthouse cinema in India along the way.
