JOIN USYoungsters know her as ‘magic nani’ from the hit TV serial Shararat. Middle-aged folks adore her as the comforting and supportive mother in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ), and as the grandmotherly Dai jaan in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (K3G). Older generations remember her as the young and coy fiancée of the handsome Rajesh Khanna, crooning ‘Baghon Mein Bahar Hai’ in the film Aradhana (1969), or as the mentally challenged girl, Alka, the young Rishi’s betrothed in Bobby (1973).
Actor Farida Jalal has been flooring audiences with her endearing performances over the years, playing the roles of sister, friend, fiancée, mother, grandmother, among others.
“I am willing to appear for even half a scene in a film, but it has to be something that I have not done before. Why should I strain myself for something totally inconsequential?” says Faridaji rather candidly as we settle down over cups of chai in her cosy, suburban apartment, on a rainy evening in Mumbai.
So what is she working on these days? “Where are roles these days? In the recent crop of movies, have you seen any role that you thought I could have done, and missed? I have great respect for Amitabh Bachchan. He is simply indefatigable, and roles are being specially scripted for him. He is very lucky to be able to get such diverse assignments even at this point in his career. I love Dilip Kumar, but even he has not explored such a diverse gamut of roles like Amitabh.”
Then and now
With movies centred around friends and their dilemmas, horror stories and thrilling stunts, there is little room for senior character actors. “Things are so different now,” she says. “As a school-goer, I edified Dev Anand, Raj Kumar, Dilip Kumar. They were the kings of the silver screen. Acting skills made the stars those days. I feel, nowadays, acting skills are secondary. Actors need to have a fabulous body; know how to dance beautifully; even sing, dress up trendily — the entire packaging is so important now that acting takes a backseat. I work a lot with the younger generation, and all of them say that they wish to age gracefully like me. For that, I tell them, they need to have a disciplined lifestyle — no smoking and drinking!”
Acting took a backseat for Faridaji when she got married and moved to Bengaluru in the 80s with her husband. “There was nothing to do then, as multi-starrers — like Amar Akbar Anthony — were being made, where lead actors like Parveen Babi, Neetu Singh played my kind of roles. But I made a comeback with Raj Kapoor’s Henna. What a comeback it was! I ended up doing much more work subsequently than I had done before,” she says.
Reflecting on the professional relationships between actors, she says, “They were warm and emotional. I was in one scene in Rishi Kapoor’s Bobby. I played the yedi ladki, rather reluctantly, as Mehmood (the famous comedian) bhai jaan insisted. I argued with him about how I possibly could benefit by just that scene in a film that starred a new boy and a new girl (Dimple Kapadia) in lead roles. I mean, who would notice me? But that one scene shot me to fame. Satyajit Ray signed me on for his only Hindi film, Shatranj ke Khilari. It was a dream come true for me.”
She has been working with a younger crop of filmmakers as well, including Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra. About this she says, “It was fun shooting for DDLJ and K3G. But there are times when I feel bad, when scenes involving me get chopped off at the editing table. There is nothing much one can do about it.”
The going gets tough
Work is what kept her going when she lost her husband, and then her mother. “They were my backbone, and with them gone, I felt absolutely rudderless. I was sinking into loneliness and that is when Yasin, my son, pulled me out. He gave up his work (assisting director Mahesh Bhatt) and took over completely,” confesses Faridaji. She has battled the storms in her life and has slowly emerged stronger. “At that point I was shooting for Shararat, and that was a hit. My on-screen grand-daughter, Shruti Seth, is the daughter I’ve never had. Children come up to me even now and ask me to perform magic. I wink playfully and tell them magic happens only at night, if I meet them during the day, and vice versa!”
About her latest films — I’m Not a Terrorist and Sargoshiyan — shot in Kashmir, she says, “I shot for the films back to back, and it appears that I have strained my legs, and they hurt! But I love going back to Kashmir. I have shot for so many films over there; the place holds special memories for me. I’m Not A Terrorist is a film by a Malaysian filmmaker. Gulshan Grover and I are the only Indian cast members; and Sargoshiyan is by filmmaker Imran Khan. Here I play the role of a mother looking for her son,” she says.
Life as an actor
After her last performance in the soap-opera Satrangi Sasural, Faridaji is going through a few more scripts. “I keep doing serials now and then to keep oiling my acting skills. Acting makes me happy,” she says. “There are few roles written for our age group now, but the film industry is like my family. Adi (Aditya Chopra ), Karan (Johar) are like my bachchas. I cannot say no to them. My films have given me so much fame, money, love... People of all age groups want to be around me. This is my real poonji, my real award; this is the love that matters.”