Meezaan expressed gratitude towards everyone who showered his grandfather Jagdeep with love(Photo: Meezaan/Instagram)
Late actor Jagdeep’s grandson Meezaan Jaffrey on Friday remembered him fondly. He recalled how his grandfather, who has over 400 movies to his credit, ‘lived and breathed’ films since the age of 10. For him, Jagdeep was a man with a “happy-go-lucky attitude” and was someone who never interfered in anyone’s life.
Sharing a throwback photo of himself and the late actor, Meezaan expressed gratitude towards everyone who showered his grandfather with love. He also revealed how Jagdeep took iconic filmmakers like Bimal Roy and Guru Dutt as father figures.
Jagdeep, 81, died at his residence in Mumbai on Wednesday night. His last rites were performed on Thursday in the presence of family members and close friends.
Meezaan, son of Javed Jaaferi, shared on Instagram, “Thank you for all the love and appreciation everyone has given to Dada. He gave 70 years of his life to the film industry. He was living and breathing films as all he knew since the age of 10 was films. His father had passed away when he was really young, so his father figures were K.Asif, Mehboob Khan, Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt and a few other directors of that time. He’s worked with almost every actor of his generation and gave everyone a run for their money. He was a stress buster for people watching him on screen and brought a smile to everyone’s face. With having done 400 films, his legacy lives on forever.”
Meezaan who made his Bollywood debut with the 2019 film Malaal revealed why the veteran actor, born as Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jaffrey, changed his name to Jagdeep. “I asked him one day why the name JAGDEEP and he said with a smile (which was perpetually on his face) he wanted to bring light into everyone’s life (jag- world, deep- light),” shared Meezaan.
The lunches at actor Jagdeep’s house were like a storytelling session where people listened to him like children. Grateful for these stories, Meezan added, “Thank you dada for passing on that knowledge and those stories on to my family and I. Today I’m upset because there are so many things I wanted to ask you and so many I wanted to say but I guess its meant for another time. I could go on and on about your accomplishments but i guess its time to let go. You’re not here physically but you will always be in our hearts.”
Meezan had his last conversation with his grandfather and actor Jagdeep two days before his death. “I spoke to my Dada 2 days before his demise and my father passed him the phone while on facetime. All he said to me was “aur beta kaise ho, youre looking very handsome”. Thats the last thing my grandfather said to me and I dont think ill ever forget that image,” the Malaal actor recalled.
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Concluding his note, Meezaan urged youngsters to take time out for their grandparents, “However old, grumpy and irritating they have gotten, cherish every moment with them and make the most of it❤️”