Google dedicates doodle to late actor Farooque Shaikh on his 70th birthday

Google on Sunday dedicated a doodle to late actor Farooque Shaikh on his 70^th birth anniversary. Considered as one of the finest actors of his era, Sheikh was born on March 25, 1948.

Director MS Sathyu gave Shaikh his first big break in the industry with his film Garam Hawa. The actor played a supporting role in the drama film credited for being a pioneer of a new wave of Hindi art films.

Farooque Shaikh was a gem of Indian cinema who gave memorable performances in Chashme Baddoor, Umrao Jaan, Bazaar, Gaman and Shatranj Ke Khiladi.

Shaikh’s comic timing in Sai Paranjpye directorial Chashme Baddoor impressed the critics and fans and made him different from his contemporaries.

Not just Hindi cinema, the Biwi Ho To Aisi actor made a name for himself in television and theatre world as well. The versatile actor was part of shows like Chamatkar, Ji Mantriji, Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai and Do Dil Ek Jaan.

Who can ever forget the iconic show- Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai? Farooque Shaikh was the host of the celebrity talk show which aired on Zee Tv.

The Rang Birangi actor’s camadarie with the B-town celebrities and his sense of humour was the USP of the popular show.

The actor was also known for his power-packed performances in plays. Shaikh starred in a successful play called Tumhari Amrita alongside Shabana Azami.

“Today’s Doodle by Nimit Malavia is a tribute to Farouque Shaikh’s cinematic career in a style evocative of hand-painted movie posters of the 1970s, and especially Umrao Jaan. We see the wide-eyed romantic hero of the 1970’s mature into a comfortingly familiar TV presence of the 1990’s, bridging the gap between mainstream and arthouse cinema in India along the way,” Google wrote in a post explaining the doodle.

Not many people know that Farooque Shaikh was actively involved with the UNICEF polio eradication programme. The Gujarat born actor made several trips to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, two-polio-endemic states, and worked closely with the teams to get greater acceptance of the polio vaccine in these areas.

Farooque Shaikh left for his heavenly abode on December 28, 2013 after suffering a heart attack. The artist will always be known for his immense contribution to Parallel cinema.