Farooque Shaikh texted with both hands as if he was using knitting needles, says Salim Arif

Each time Salim Arif and his family pass by Highland Park building in Lokhandwala where Farooque Shaikh lived, their eyes wander towards the gate only to be met by disappointment.
Shaikh Sahab's first Smriti Din will be observed on Sunday, December 28.
Theatre director Arif became familiar with Shaikh during Tumhari Amrita, which his father-in-law Javed Siddiqi scripted and later directed its sequel Aapki Soniya featuring the actor with Sonali Bendre.The disbelief at his passing was palpable. One year ago, even as people filed in for the wake at Highland Park compound, Arif's wife Lubna could only say, "How can he be gone? Unki Eid ki biryani ke bartan abhi ghar mein pade hain.''
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Speaking to TOI on Saturday, Salim Arif said, "This past year has felt like a void for all of us. We were so close, and Shaikh was the kind of man who would keep in touch even with a remote acquaintance." He laughs and says, "Do you know Farooque Sahab had the amazing ability to type with both hands? He would pore over his very basic Nokia cellphone and keep sending SMSs to people. We would joke that he looked like he was using knitting needles. He was constantly on SMS for he loved sharing shairi, thoughts and jokes. Such a great guy."
"I always knew and admired his work. I first met him in 1989 during an episode of Kehkashan. Jalal Agha was the director and he called me over saying I have no clue what to do, please come on board. This was a serial about Urdu poetry and Farooque Sahab was acting in it. At the time he did not know I am the son-in-law of his old friend Javed Siddiqi. One day a spot boy came to me and said Farooque Sahab bula rahe hain. It was lunchtime and he had brought lovely food from home which he generously shared with us. After lunch he handed around a box of chocolates. He had a sweet tooth, khane ke baad meetha hona chahiye. Later we met during Tumhari Amrita. As they say, the rest is history."
Arif says Shaikh did not do films for a long time around the turn of the century. "We all know he was choosy about scripts, but he actually turned down certain films because he was not comfortable wearing suits and costumes. He loved his kurta pyjama. He would say, nahin, there are too many suits in this film," he laughs.
"He was such a charming actor. I loved watching him in Katha. People often use the term girl next door but he was the male equivalent of that, the boy next door whom everybody loved. There was such dignity, such finesse about him which made him look like a nawab from Lucknow although he had nothing to do with the city. His family hails from Baroda and Surat. He loved Lucknow, though. Films like Umrao, Anjuman and Gaman which he did with Muzaffar Ali Sahab are rooted in the heritage of that charming city."
Arif says, "The culture and finesse came partly from his upbringing by his father Mustafa Shaikh Sahab who was an eminent lawyer, and partly from his education at St Xavier's. His college mates Pankaj Udhas, Sunil Gavaskar, Shabana Azmi and Vinod Khanna's brother must miss him terribly. Few people know that Farooque Sahab worked with Air India for a time. In fact, that is where he met Muzaffar Ali. But he got tired of his job and resigned." "As for us, we shared a bond owing to a common love of literature and food. We travelled for shows, and I remember when I said Farooque Sahab, we have been invited to Singapore or to Delhi, he would prepare a list of four or five restaurants to visit in those cities. It was strange actually, we were staying in a five-star hotel in Delhi and we would head out at 10.30pm for browsing the eateries in Old Delhi. He would order seven or eight dishes and eat only a little of each. He loved cricket and literature as much."
"He followed his heart always. Farooque Sahab was never an ambitious actor, he was always clear about his priorities. He never chased the star quest of becoming the number one actor. He was most rooted in reality and had no qualms about travelling by autorickshaw while his family used the car. That I feel comes when a man develops a complete sense of self-assurance."
Arif says that Shaikh was a five-time 'namazi' even on set. "I think that was a childhood habit. He was a true Muslim. The beauty is that although he was a religious person he did not allow it to cloud his vision. He remained a liberal, secular man. He did so much charity without ever making a point of it. To me he was like one of my cousins. An elder brother whose company you enjoy so much. Moreover, he would never let you pay, he would organise everything very quietly just the way an elder brother would."
Arif recalls the time Shaikh Sahab fell ill in June 2012 when a performance of Amrita had been scheduled at Prithvi Theatre. "I stepped in with Ghalibnama when Shabana called to say that the show had to be cancelled owing to Farooque Sahab's illness. I wonder if the body was giving him a signal at the time. Farooque Sahab had a distrust of allopathic doctors. He was scared of them and convinced of their incompetence. Instead he relied on alternative systems like yunani and ayurveda."
Last Christmas Arif was on a flight from Indore when he heard he was no more. "I cannot tell you how shocked I was. It was the most depressing news. We had been planning to film my play Tajmahal Ka Tender. It was he who encouraged me to take the film rights of this play. He would have acted the part of Shahjahan. What a royal treat that would have been," he says.
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