Jalal Agha

Biography

He was the son of the classic comedian actor Agha, Jalal Agha was a renowned actor in the Hindi film industry who rose to popularity during the 1970s. He is best known for featuring in the super hit song ‘Mehbooba Mehbooba’ in the cult film Sholay (1975) as the free-spirited banjo player. Although he graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune, he had made his mark as an actor far earlier as a child artist. When the veteran actor Dilip Kumar chanced upon him, he considered the child Jalal Agha as the perfect choice to be cast as the young Jehangir in the film Mughal-e-Azam (1960). As an adult, his first film was Bambai Raat Ki Bahon Mein (1967) at the age of 21. He was a prolific actor and worked in over 60 films from the late 1960s until his death in 1995. Although he acted mostly in supporting roles, he was still a well-known face in the industry and commended for his talent. Some of his most popular roles were in Yaadon Ki Baraat (1973) as Salim, Thodi Si Bewafai (1980), as the brother of the female lead, and Julie (1975), as Julie’s lover Richard. He has also worked in English language films which included the popular film Gandhi (1982), as well as Bombay Talkie (1970), and Kim (1984). He also explored the avenue of screenwriting and directing with his film Goonj (1989). The last film he appeared in before his untimely death was Pehla Nasha (1993). Jalal Agha died on 5th March 1995, in New Delhi, following a heart attack.