London:
Saeed Jaffrey, one of the first Indian actors to successfully establish a career in both Hindi cinema and British movies, was remembered at this year’s Bafta awards.
Jaffrey, a Bafta nominee for “My Beautiful Laundrette”, died at the age of 86 late last year.
The actor was paid tribute in the obituary section alongside Alan Rickman, Maureen O’Hara, Omar Sharif, David Bowie, Ron Moody, Frank Finlay and Christopher Lee.
He is also the first Indian to receive the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his contributions to drama.
Jaffrey had a successful career both in India and in British films and television.
The actor settled in London, while continuing to work in the Mumbai-based Indian film industry. His most notable international performances are “The Man Who Would Be King”, “Death on the Nile”, “Sphinx”, “The Jewel in the Crown”, “A Passage to India”, “The Deceivers”, “After Midnight”, “On Wings of Fire” and “Chicken Tikka Masala”.
His international career saw him working with Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Roshan Seth, James Ivory, Richard Attenborough and Daniel Day-Lewis.
Jaffrey’s most memorable role was in Satyajit Ray’s “Shatranj Ke Khiladi”. He credited Ray for bringing him back to Indian films.
To his Indian fans, Jaffrey is mostly known for his turn as a benevolent gentleman, friend and father figure in films like “Masoom”, “Chashme Buddoor”, “Kissi Se Na Kehna” and “Ram Lakhan”, among many other characters.
