Following this principle on screen and off it, Farrukh Jafar, aka Gulabo Sitabo's Begum, gears up for new innings in Bollywood at 86
Farrukh Jafar
At the centre of Shoojit Sircar's Gulabo Sitabo is Fatima Begum, the owner of the dilapidated haveli that becomes the bone of contention between Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana's characters. Though marketed as a film about a landlord and his tenant at loggerheads, the script cleverly puts the spotlight on its 86-year-old leading lady Farrukh Jafar. You should take the hint when her name appears before Bachchan's in the credits.
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Locked in her Lucknow home since March, Jafar isn't oblivious to the praise coming her way. Tell her she is hailed as the new rockstar, and she admits, "I had not expected so much love. I have been working actively for decades. But it's only recently that strong roles are being written for actors of diverse cultures and age groups. It's up to the director and writer to utilise the actors effectively. Shoojit Sircar and Juhi Chaturvedi make Begum triumph."
Chaturvedi's sharp understanding of the character made it easier for Jafar to sink her teeth into the role. "Begum's character was old but sassy, and that attracted me to her. I was particularly lured by the last scene," says the actor, who made her debut in Umrao Jaan (1981).
Quiz her about the much-discussed climax—one that filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan described as "a gentle slap on the male ego"—and she decodes it, "Begum must be loathing herself for choosing a petty and miserly man like Mirza. It's evident to her that he married her for the haveli, and did not value her. The realisation came late, but it's never too late to start living. Even in marriages, women should have their own identity. They are free-thinking and independent individuals." Jafar believes in walking the talk—ready for her new innings in Bollywood, she is in talks for two projects.
The idea of being Bachchan's heroine, and a unique one at that, made her chuckle. "I remember becoming Mr Bachchan's fan post Silsila and Kabhi Kabhie. His romantic pairing with Rekha [in Silsila] is etched in our minds. Until I saw Silsila, I was a fan of Dilip Kumar."
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