"I miss you Firkee": Shabana Azmi remembers Farooq Shaikh's on his 10th death anniversary

Mumbai, December 28  

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Veteran actor Farooq Shaikh passed away on December 28, 2013.

On his 10th death anniversary, veteran actor Shabana Azmi took a trip down memory lane to remember the time when she worked with him very fondly in a heartfelt note.

She wrote on Instagram, “10 years… I remember so clearly that on December 14th, we did our last show of Tumhari Amrita in front of the Taj Mahal. I remarked that we can never find a venue to match the Taj and that it should be our last show since we have been playing it for 22 years.”  Shabana shared a picture of Farooq in the post.

She added, “Pat came to your reply, ‘Why should we pull the curtains on Tumhari Amrita – we will do it for another 22 years!’ 14 days later you were gone… and with it was washed away a deep friendship of 40 years. I can never play Amrita again with my Zulfi gone. I miss you Firkee.”  Notably, Shabana Azmi and Farooq Shaikh co-starred in the popular play ‘Tumhari Amrita’, directed by Feroz Abbas Khan.

It is a Hindi adaptation of A.R. Gurney’s play ‘Love Letters.’  It revolves around the characters Amrita Nigam, played by Shabana Azmi, and Zulfikar Haider, played by Farooq Shaikh, who communicate through letters over the years, sharing their joys and sorrows.

Farooq’s first significant cinematic appearance was in the 1973 film ‘Garam Hawa,’ in which he had a supporting role with Balraj Sahni. He went on to appear in films such as ‘Noorie,’ ‘Chashme Buddoor,’ ‘Umrao Jaan Biwi Ho To Aisi,’ and many others.

The late actor also hosted the first season of the TV show ‘Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai.’ He won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2010 for his work in the sports film ‘Lahore.’  Meanwhile, Shabana will be next seen in ‘Bun Tikki’.