Farooq Shaikh was a veteran Indian theatre artist, film actor and television presenter. He was best known for his notable contribution in parallel and new Indian cinema. Shaikh was born in Surat, Gujarat in 1948. He studied at St. Marys School, Mumbai and then graduated from St. Xavier`s College, Mumbai. Farooq decided to study law but switched to pursue a career in acting. He joined the Indian People`s Theatre Association and went on to appear in several theatrical works. In 1973, Shaikh made a foray into Bollywood with a supporting role in the National Award winning film, Garm Hawa (1973). Post his debut, he appeared on television shows like Yuvadarshan and Young World on Bombay Doordarshan, which earned him instant recognition among the masses. He then went on to star in several blockbusters such as Shatranj ke Khiladi (1977), Noorie (1979), Chashme Buddoor (1981), Umrao Jaan (1981) and Bazaar (1982). He was popularly paired with actress Deepti Naval in several films such as Saath Saath (1982), Katha (1983), Rang Birangi (1983), Tell Me Oh Khuda (2011) and Listen... Amaya (2013). Farooq had a successful acting career in Bollywood and is known to have worked with notable directors like Satyajit Ray, Muzaffar Ali, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Ketan Mehta. His stage play, Tumhari Amrita alongside actress Shabana Azmi had a successful run for over 12 years, which was followed by its sequel, Aapki Soniya. In 2010, Shaikh won a National Award for his role in the critically acclaimed film Lahore. He also hosted the popular TV show Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai where he interviewed top Bollywood celebrities. Shaikh`s last film, Youngistaan (2014) released after his untimely death on 27th December, 2013.