Farooque Shaikh would send sackfuls of mangoes every year, says Sharat Saxena

As a rule, Sharat Saxena does not comment on colleagues in the industry. The actor says he has been asked to speak about Amitabh Bachchan but declined. A reticent Sharat makes a rare exception for Farooque Shaikh.
ShaikhSahab's 67th birth anniversary is being celebrated today, March 25. Saxena made his acquaintance over a brief duration of 20 days as they shot for Club 60 yet this short period convinced him that Shaikh was one of the nicest people he has ever known.
"I have known about Farooque Sahab since almost 40 years. He was doing a film named Noorie under Yash Chopra's banner and I was working in Kala Patthar which was also produced by Yash ji. I always thought of him as a charming man whose performances shone with caliber," he says.
"Through our long career we never got to work together until 2013 when we signed Club 60. Until then I always liked him from afar. I knew Farooque Sahab was a decent person, a warm person, but it was only after I met him during this shoot that I realised what an enormously nice and genuine person he was."
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Most unit members of Club 60 loved food. Saxena says, "I remember Farooque Sahab would bring volumes of nice food on set for the whole unit. Not just that, he would send sackfuls of mangoes from his farm in Gujarat. Club 60 lasted two years in the making. Dono saal badi aam ki boriyan aayin thi.''
As an actor who has been in the profession for four decades, Saxena is able to appraise the performance of other artistes. "Farooque Sahab was so natural. It never seemed as if he was pretending to be a character that a scriptwriter or director had merely handed to him. His performance was so honest. Some actors merely have to appear before the camera and they are able to convey exactly what the director wants. Farooque Sahab ko kabhi retake ki zuroorat nahin padti thi.''
They shot together for 20 days. "Even this brief span of time allows me to say unequivocally that Farooque Shaikh was one of the nicest people I have ever known." He says, "It is so sad that he should have departed at such a young age. It was difficult to believe because we had been together just a few days before. We had finished shooting for Club 60 but the publicity campaign was under way so the whole group would meet for promotions and press interviews. We had been spending a lot of time together before he left on a new year vacation with his family to Dubai. All of us actors became a close group of friends during the film."
Saxena was unable to attend the final farewell, but wishes peace and blessings upon Shaikh Sahab always.
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