Remembering IFTEKHAR on his 97th Birth Anniversary

For cinema lovers this name is synonymous with Police Officer, a role he often played on the silver screen. In fact the movie “Ittefaaq” changed his life completely. The cop’s uniform suited his personality so well, that he instantly became a very busy man. He soon bought his own flat in Khar. 

He was born on 26^th February 1922 in Jalandhar and brought up in Kanpur. After completing his matriculation he did a diploma course in painting from Lucknow College Of Arts. 
Iftekhar’s debut film was 1944 release “Taqraar” which was made under the banner of “Art Films-Kolkata”. Heroine of this film was that time star actress Jamuna.
Iftekhar acted in over 400 films in a career that spanned from the 1940s through to the early 1990s.He  had been a lead actor in his youth during the Black & White era of Bollywood in the 1940s and 1950s.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Iftekhar graduated to playing uncle, father, and what came to be his speciality: police inspector roles, doctor or senior advocate. Generally he played 'sympathetic' characters but, on occasion, he played the heavy. One of his most memorable roles as a heavy was as Amitabh Bachchan's corrupt industrialist mentor in Yash Chopra's classic Deewaar (1975).

Besides Deewaar and Zanjeer Iftekar had character roles in many of the classics of 1960s, 1970s, 1980s Bollywood cinema: Bimal Roy's Bandini, Raj Kapoor's Sangam, Manoj Kumar's Shaheed, Teesri Manzil, Teesri Kasam, Johny Mera Naam, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Don, The Gambler and Sholay to name but a few.
70s and 80s were busiest days for Iftekhar During this period he acted in hundreds of movies like “Sharmili”, “Mehboob Ki Mehndi”, “Gambler”, “Kal Aaj Aur Kal”, “Hare Rama Hare Krishna”, “Jawani Deewani”, “Achanak”, “Zanjeer”, “Majboor”, “Deewar”, “Dharmatma”, “Sholey”, “Kabhi Kabhi”, “Dulhan Wohi Jo Piya Mann Bhaaye”, “Don”, “Trishool”, “Noorie”, “Kaala Patthar”, “Karz”, “Dostana”, “Rocky”, “Saath Saath”, “Rajpoot”, “Sadma”, “Inqalaab”, “Jageer”, “Tawaif”, “Angaare” and “Awaam”, “Bekhudi” (1992) and “Kaala Coat” (1993) are among the last films.

Iftekhar with his wife

Iftekhar married Hannah Joseph, a Jewish girl from Calcutta,he had 2 daughters.His elder daughter, Salma was born in 1946 and the younger one, Sayeeda, was born 1946.Sadly his younger daughter died in 1995 which completely broken him and he died  on 1st March 1995, a few days after his younger daughter's passing away.

Song(Audio) from Ghar 1945

Song from Rajlaxmi 1945 Audio only 

Song from Aisa Kyon 1947