Farrukh Jaffar, Gulabo Sitabo’s Begum, Passes Away At 88- Demise
Jaffer’s grandson, Shaaz Ahmad, took to Twitter to share the news. He tweeted, “My grandmother and wife of the freedom fighter, ex-MLC, Mr. S.M. Jaffar, and veteran actress Ms. Farrukh Jaffar died today in Lucknow at 7 pm.”
Screenwriter Juhi Chaturvedi also took to Instagram to mourn the veteran actor’s death. She shared a photo and wrote, “Begum gayiin. Farrukh ji… na aap jaisa koi tha aur na hoga… dil se shukriya jo aapne humko aapse rishta jodne ki ijaazat di… ab allah ki uss duniya mein hifaazat se rahiyega… RIP # FarrukhJaffar #Begum #FattoBi #FatimaBegum #GulaboSitabo)” (Begum is gone! Farrukh ji, there was no one, and there will be no one like you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing us to connect with you. Please stay safe in the other world of Allah. RIP #FarrukhJaffar #Begum #FattoBi #FatimaBegum #GulaboSitabo)”
Farrukh Jaffer was born in Jaunpur in 1933 into a Zamindar family. At 16 she moved to Lucknow after marrying journalist and freedom fighter Syed Muhammad Jaffer, who encouraged her to study and participate in theatre and film.
Jaffer graduated from Lucknow University and soon got a job at All India Radio. She became one of the first female voices in AIR, Lucknow. But in 1966 she left her job to help her widowed mother take care of her farmland in Jaunpur. After her husband’s posting, she finally moved to Delhi and joined AIR’s Urdu ministry while also being active in Ebrahim Alkazi’s acting workshops.
Farrukh Jaffer made his film debut with Muzaffar Ali’s classic Umrao Jaan (1981), in which he played Rekha’s mother. His second film Swades (2004) came out after 23 years, followed by Peepli Live, Chakravyuh, Sultan, and Tanu Weds Manu. She also starred in Narayan Chauhan’s Ammaa ki Boli (2019).
Jaffer has acted in nearly a dozen movies in the last 20 years, including Gulabo Sitabo. At 88, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for Shoojit Sircar‘s directed movie, being the oldest winner in the acting category.
Farrukh Jaffer is survived by two daughters. Her films Mehrunisa, Raks, Kundan Nandy’s next, and a few more short films are still yet to release on the screen.
