Jagdeep, The Humorist With Depth

Brut India

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.

Transcript

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.

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