Cinemaazi remembers Jalal Agha on his birth anniversary
11 Jul 1945
Jalal Agha was born on 11 July 1945 to popular comedian-actor Agha and his wife Masoom. He first acted as the child Jahangir in Mughal-e-Azam (1960) on screen. He continued to complete his education and graduated in acting from FTII, Pune. He made his debut as an adult in Bambai Raat Ki Bahon Mein (1967), a crime thriller. Other popular roles include Salim in Yaadon ki Baarat (1973), Julie’s lover Richard in Julie (1975) and, of course, his small yet unforgettable appearance as the enthusiastic rubab player and singer in Mehbooba O Mehbooba in Sholay(1975), alongside Helen. Another popular song picturised on him is Sama hai suhana suhana in Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani(1970). He also ventured into direction and screenplay writing and found his own production house, Maja Films. He started by directing ads and TV serials like Mr Ya Mrs (1987) and Kahkashan (1991), a serial on six modern Urdu and Islamic poets. His first feature film, Nirvaan, never saw the light of the day. His second film was Goonj (1989) which portrayed the communal violence that rocked the country in the 1980s. He acted in more than 60 movies and directed two. After two years of his father's death, Jalal Agha too passed away at the age of 49 due to a heart attack.
