Wednesday morning radio show to explore Farooque Shaikh's career in theatre

MUMBAI: A special radio show Wednesday morning will explore a lesser known facet of actor Farooque Shaikh. The show will narrate his journey as a theatre artiste whose stage career spanned around 45 years.
RJ Siddharth's three-hour long programme on Big FM will be aired at 7.00am Wednesday, October 29. October 28 marks ten months since Shaikh Sahab passed away.
"We have prepared a series of programmes on our breakfast show about film actors who have their roots in theatre, particularly IPTA. We featured Sanjeev Kumar and Balraj Sahni on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday is dedicated to Shaikh Sahab," Siddharth said. "People know about his films but this show delves into his lifelong bond with theatre that he chose to retain even at the height of his success in cinema."
Siddharth says Shaikh Sahab discovered the stage during his college years at St Xavier's in Mumbai. "That is where he met IPTA's Ramesh Talwar, Raman Kumar and Sagar Sarhadi. In fact IPTA earned him his first film role in Garm Hawa whose actors, technicians and director M S Sathyu all belonged to IPTA."
Even Noorie's ensemble including Bharat Kapoor and Iftekhar, all save Poonam Dhillon, came from IPTA stock, says Siddharth. Shaikh Sahab's films with Muzaffar Ali including Gaman, Anjuman and Umrao Jaan, all drew association with theatre. Shabana Azmi, with whom he gave his most memorable stage performance in 'Tumhari Amrita', became familiar with him as a co-actor on stage in St Xavier's.
Siddharth was shocked when Shaikh Sahab passed away on December 28 last year. "It was I who recorded his last interview on December 19. That is a dubious distinction that I seldom take credit for, I was so shocked when I heard the news. I did not have the heart to air it but I had to."
Siddharth's interview with Shaikh Sahab will be archived on www.soundcloud.com/rjsiddharth.