Radio and TV tributes to mark Farooque Shaikh's 67th birth anniversary

MUMBAI: A series of television and radio programmes have been lined up ahead of Farooque Shaikh's 67th birth anniversary which comes up Wednesday, March 25.
At 10.00am Sunday March 22, Big FM will air interviews with Shaikh's friends and colleagues, some of whom who knew him well before he became a professional actor. RJ Siddharth will host the show along with journalist Bhavana Somaya.
Siddharth says, "Shaikh Sahab was a man who valued friendships. He had an enormous circle of friends. There is Shabana Azmi who was his junior at St Xavier's College in the 1960s. Their friendship spans 45 years. We also have an interview with Raman Kumar who was in Khalsa College but knew Shaikh owing to their interaction in theatre. Muzaffar Ali who directed him in Anjuman, Gaman and Umrao Jaan will feature too. Do you know Shaikh Sahab did an enormous amount of social work with the pulse polio campaign? He went to the bastis quietly changing lives but never spoke about in the media. We will highlight all the aspects that make him unforgettable even a year after his passing."
Shabana says on the show how the compound of Shaikh's apartment building was filled with thousands of common people not just film stars during his wake on December 30, 2013. Ordinary fans accompanied the bier to the final resting place.
Siddharth's programme will be aired from 10.00am to 12.00 on Sunday, March 22. It will be repeated next Saturday, March 28, from 3.00-5.00pm.
On March 25, Zee Classic will air Ab Ayega Mazaa around 8.15am while its midnight slot around 12.25am on March 26 will show Lakhon Ki Baat.
Vividh Bharati, which is now fortunately available on FM frequency 102.8 as well, is expected to host Aaj Ke Fankaar on Shaikh Sahab at 9.30am and again at 9.30pm.