Meezaan with his grandfather Jagdeep. (courtesy Meezaanj )

New Delhi:

Meezaan Jaaferi poured his heart out in an emotional Instagram post, remembering his late grandfather and legendary actor Jagdeep, who died at the age of 81 on Wednesday. Accompanying the extensive note with a childhood memory, the Malaal actor revealed the last words of his grandfather to him. “I spoke to my Dada 2 days before his demise and my father (Jaaved Jaaferi) passed him the phone while on FaceTime. All he said to me was ‘aur beta kaise ho, you’re looking very handsome’. That’s the last thing my grandfather said to me and I don’t think I’ll ever forget that image.” An emotional Meezaan asked his fans to spend more time with their grandparents. In his post, Meezaan added, “For those who have grandparents living with them or not living with them, please make an effort to pick up the phone and speak to them for 2 minutes it’ll make their day because I promise you when the time comes for them to depart from this world, you will regret it no matter how much time you guys have spent together. However old, grumpy and irritating they have gotten, cherish every moment with them and make the most of it.”

Meezaan began his note by acknowledging everyone who showered their love and appreciation upon his late grandfather. “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.” Meezaan stated that K Asif, Mehboob Khan, Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt and a few other directors of that time were like father figures to Jagdeep. He wrote that with over 400 films, his grandfather’s legacy “lives on forever,” adding, “He worked with almost every actor of his generation and gave everyone a run for their money. He was stress buster for people watching him on screen and brought a smile to everyone’s face.”

Recalling the time when he asked his grandfather (born as Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jafri) the meaning of his stage name Jagdeep, Meezaan wrote: “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). He never interfered in anyone’s life and always had a happy-go-lucky attitude and lunches at his house were like a story telling session where people of all age groups sat down and listened like children.” Meezaan said that his grandfather’s absence has left a void in his life but he “will always be in our hearts.” He signed off saying, “I could go on and on about your accomplishments but i guess it’s time to let go.”

Read Meezaan’s post here:

Thank you for all the love and appreciation everyone has give 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. Hes worked with almost every actor of his generation and gave everyone a run for their money. He was stress buster for people watching him on screen and brought a smile to everyones face. With having done 400 films his legacy lives on forever. 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). He never interfered in anyones life and always had a happy-go-lucky attitude and lunches at his house were like a story telling session where people of all age groups sat down and listened like children. 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 For those who have grandparents living with them or not living with them, PLEASE spend more time. 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. Make an effort to pick up the phone and speak to them for 2minutes it’ll make their day because I promise you when the time comes for them to depart from this world, you will regret it no matter how much time you guys have spent together. However old, grumpy and irritating they have gotten, cherish every moment with them and make the most of it

A post shared by Meezaan (@meezaanj) on Jul 10, 2020 at 2:33am PDT

On Thursday, Meezaan shared a priceless throwback picture of himself and his grandfather from his childhood days.

A post shared by Meezaan (@meezaanj) on Jul 9, 2020 at 5:37am PDT

Jagdeep famously starred as Soorma Bhopali in Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra’s 1975 film Sholay. He also directed the Soorma Bhopali, a 1988 film based on his character from Sholay. Jagdeep’s filmography includes films like Bindiya, Bhabhi, Barkha, Brahmachari, Purana Mandir, China Gate, Hasina Aur Nagina, Phool Aur Kaante, Insaan Bana Shaitan, Andaz Apna Apna, Shahenshah and Qurbani among many others.