#GoldenFrames: Farooq Shaikh, a philanthropist and artist at heart

Farooq Shaikh was not just a laudable actor but also a philanthropist and television presenter. He had worked with some of the finest Bollywood directors, including Satyajit Ray, Ketan Mehta, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Muzaffar Ali and Sai Paranjye. Some famous Farooq Shaikh movies include 'Umrao Jaan' (1981), 'Bazaar' (1982), 'Saath Saath' (1982), 'Faasle' (1985), 'Toofan' (1989), 'Ab Insaf Hoga' (1995), 'Tell Me O Khuda' (2011), 'Shanghai' (2012), and many more.

In This Pic : Farooq Shaikh

Born on 25 March 1948 in Amroli, Vadodra, Gujarat, to landowners. Farooq Shaikh was the oldest of five children, and his father Mustafa Shaikh was a lawyer in Mumbai. Mother Farida Sheikh was a housewife.

In This Pic : Farooq Shaikh

After studying at St. Mary's School in Mumbai, Shaikh went to St Xavier's College and studied law from Siddharth College of Law in Mumbai. During his final year of law school, director M.S. Sathyu approached him to play a supporting role in the movie 'Garm Hawa' (1974). Shaikh was active in the theatre circuit, especially with the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) and well-known directors like Sagar Sarhadi.

(Movie still: Umrao Jaan, 1981)

In This Pic : rekha, Farooq Shaikh

He became good friends with cricketer Sunil Gavaskar during his college days. He also met his future wife Roopa, who was his junior to him. Roopa and Shabana Azmi were classmates.

In This Pic : Farooq Shaikh

Shaikh married Roopa a few years after graduating from St. Xaviers. The couple has two daughters, Shaista and Sanaa. His younger daughter Sanaa works with the NGO.

In This Pic : Farooq Shaikh