Jagdeep started his film journey with a role that promised him only Rs. 6. He went on to become one of India's most loved comic actors. He died in Mumbai on Wednesday. He was 81.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Our parents, our forefathers, melted their bones a lot.
00:06Keep that in mind.
00:08Look at India with the same eyes they had.
00:15Then India will flourish, bloom, shine, and be bright.
00:20My father was in law, but India was Pakistan.
00:26Everything fell apart.
00:28A lot of people were worried.
00:31My brother used to live in Bombay.
00:33My mother brought me here when I was 6 or 7 years old.
00:38So I came to Bombay.
00:40Everything was destroyed.
00:43The house, the bungalow, everything was destroyed.
00:47My mother brought me to the orphanage.
00:52My mother cooked food for me.
00:57She had 4 maids.
00:59She cooked food for me.
01:01She enrolled me in school.
01:04I told my mother that I wanted to do something like her.
01:08She said, you should study.
01:10I said, what is there in studies that I am not able to give you any happiness?
01:14Neither are we happy.
01:16That boy is happy with his work.
01:19He is raising his mother.
01:21I asked her, what is he doing?
01:23She said, he is making a team.
01:25I asked her, will you make it?
01:27She said, yes, I will learn.
01:29I asked her, what is it?
01:31She started crying.
01:33I asked her, what should I do?
01:37She said, work in a team factory.
01:41Then she started making kites.
01:44My mother also made kites.
01:48We kept on doing the work.
01:51One day, I met a man on the road.
01:54He asked me, will you work in a film?
01:57I asked, what is that?
01:59Because I didn't have a chance to watch a film.
02:03I was 9 years old.
02:05I asked, what is that?
02:07He said, you have to act in a film.
02:11I asked, how much will I get?
02:13He said, 3 rupees.
02:15I asked, when will you come?
02:17He said, tomorrow.
02:19My mother used to wear a burqa.
02:23She didn't take it off till she was 50 years old.
02:26I forced her to take it off.
02:29She was a very pious woman.
02:32All the people of that time were good.
02:34Hindus, Muslims, all the communities.
02:37She went with me.
02:39I didn't want to lose my child.
02:41It was a film by B.R. Chopra.
02:44There was a children's drama on the stage.
02:47The children were watching it.
02:49I was one of them.
02:513 rupees a day.
02:53There was a dialogue in Urdu.
02:55Urdu was my mother tongue.
02:57The king says, step forward.
03:01There were some Gujaratis, some Maharashtrians.
03:04I couldn't understand them.
03:06He said, there is someone who can speak Urdu.
03:09I asked my neighbour.
03:12He said, if I speak, what will happen?
03:14He said, it will be 6 out of 3.
03:16I raised my hand.
03:18I said, I will speak.
03:20He was Yash Chopra.
03:22He said, speak.
03:24I said, I will speak.
03:26He said, it will be 6 rupees.
03:28I said, shave this child's beard and moustache.
03:30It was Darbhan.
03:32First, I shaved his beard and moustache.
03:34From there, my journey started.
03:36My film journey started.
03:38After that, all the suppliers,
03:40who supply children,
03:42everyone knew that he was a good artist.
03:45So, I started getting small roles.
03:47I started getting money.
03:49I even got a big film.
03:52The name of the film was Dhobi Doctor.
03:56I was in the making of that film.
04:00Bimal Dada saw it.
04:02He said, I want this boy.
04:04Send him for my film.
04:06I went to the office.
04:08Bimal Dada was sitting there.
04:10He said, will you work in this film?
04:12I said, yes.
04:14He said, you will get 300 rupees.
04:16I said, okay.
04:18I am a devotee of 300 rupees.
04:20Dhobi Ka Zameen was a very beautiful film.
04:24It was a film to make the society understand.
04:28At that time, he told me to save the farmers.
04:34Today, after 50 years, the farmers are being hanged.
04:37He said that at that time.
04:39He used to think for India, not for himself.
04:42So, I worked in that film.
04:44I had a role of Shri Shank Boy.
04:46So, one day, I asked him,
04:48Dada, you saw me crying.
04:50Did I cry in the whole film?
04:52But in this, you gave me a role to make people laugh.
04:55This is a comedy role.
04:57So, he said, Jagdeep,
04:59The one who can make you cry a lot,
05:02He can make you laugh a lot.
05:04Why?
05:05Because there is depth in it.
05:07He will not do comedy in a hollow thing.
05:10I understood this after a long time.
05:13What is it?
05:14I have never understood like this in my life.
05:17My mother also explained.
05:20She had read a poem.
05:23There was a storm in Bombay.
05:25Maybe in 100 years.
05:27All the pillars fell down.
05:29The trains stopped.
05:30So, we had to go from Andheri.
05:32It was called Sundust Road.
05:35We were going in that storm.
05:37In the meantime, a team came flying.
05:41And the blood on the mother's feet came out.
05:45So, he quickly grabbed the leg.
05:47I started crying. I was scared.
05:48I was 8.5 years old.
05:50So, he immediately tore his sari inside.
05:53And wrapped it up.
05:55The storm was going on.
05:57I said, let's stop here.
05:59He said, no.
06:01What is that destination which is easy to reach?
06:05What is that path which is tiring?
06:08This was the inspiration given by the parents of that time.
06:11All my life, I have understood this poem.
06:14What is that path which is tiring?
06:16What is that destination which is easy to reach?
06:18So, every destination,
06:20Every step should be understood as one destination.
06:24Then, the second destination.
06:25Then, the third destination.
06:26It is not that you jump and reach there.
06:28It is difficult. You will fall.
06:30So, there is a destination to become a human being.
06:33Everyone is a human being.
06:35But what is humanity?
06:38What is humanity?
06:39You are all humans.
06:41Our ancestors,
06:44They have melted their bones a lot.
06:49Keep that in mind.
06:51And look at India.
06:53Look at India from the perspective they had seen.
06:56Then, India will flourish.
07:00Otherwise, it is very difficult.
07:02Please try to understand.
07:04What all did they do?
07:06What are we doing for you?
07:09That's all.