MUMBAI

Veteran Bollywood actor Jagdeep, known for his work in films such as Sholay, Andaz Apna Apna and Purana Mandir, has died. He was 81. Father of actor Javed Jafferi and television host Naved, the actor worked in over 400 films. Bollywood fraternity mourned his death on social media.

A close friend of the family said the actor, real name Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jafri, was not keeping well. "He passed away at 8.30 pm at his residence in Bandra. He was not keeping well due to age related issues," producer Mehmood Ali, a close family friend, told PTI.

Jagdeep, famous for his expression ‘khambha ukhadke’, started his career as a child actor at the age of nine to support his family. In his first film, BR Chopra’s Afsana, he was a face in the crowd who later got a speaking part because he could say the dialogues in chaste Urdu.

“I joined the industry, because I needed money. I never had any ambitions of playing the lead role or anything,” Jagdeep had said in an interview. Afsana opened the doors for him, and he went on to work in Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke -- for which he was felicitated by the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Raj Kapoor’s Ab Dilli Door Nahin, K A Abbas’ Munna and Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zameen.

Jagdeep played hero in five films, opposite heroines like Nanda (Bhabhi), Azra, Amita and Naaz. It was with Bhabhi that he gravitated towards comic roles. It was the character of Soorma Bhopali from Sholay which would become his most memorable. The actor would go on to direct the film Soorma Bhopali in 1988, in which Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra and Rekha had cameos. He also acted in a number of horror films made by the Ramsay Brothers. IIFA honoured him with Lifetime Achievement Award.