Bollywood: Actor Jagdeep of 'Sholay' and 'Andaz Apna Apna' fame passes away at 81

Legendary actor Jagdeep, who essayed the role of Soorma Bhopali in blockbuster Sholay, passed away in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Jagdeep, one of Hindi cinema's top comedians, has been a part of over 400 films. Born as Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jafri in Amritsar, he had taken the screen name Jagdeep. He was 81.

Jagdeep passed away in his Mumbai home following age-related issues. He had started off as a child artist in BR Chopra's Afsana, KA Abbas's Munna, Guru Dutt's Aar Paar and Bimal Roy's Do Bigha Zamin.

India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had gifted him his baton for his performance in Hum Panchi ek Dal Ke. He has also acted in several films of the Ramsay brothers like Purana Mandir.

The 1975 multi-starrer blockbuster Sholay made him a household name for the character Soorma Bhopali that he essayed. Inspired by the character, he made a film Soorma Bhopali in 1988 but it did not do well at the box office.

In a career spanning nearly six decades, Jagdeep had worked with top actors, directors and producers. He was at his peak in the 70s and 80s.

Some of his other films include Brahmachari and Andaz Apna Apna. He is survived by sons Javed Jaffrey and Naved Jaffrey.