‘That’s the last thing my grandfather said to me’: Meezaan recalls Jagdeep, asks all to stay connected with grandparents

Jaaved Jaaferi’s actor son Meezaan took to Instagram to pay respects to his grandfather and also to express a regret.

Actor Meezaan Jaafery on Friday took to Instagram to write a long note on his grandfather, legendary comedian Jagdeep. Among a host of memories that he shared, he mentioned how it was important for all to spend time with grandparents.

Recalling how cinema was the only life Jagdeep knew, Meezaan wrote: “Thank you for all the love and appreciation everyone has give to Dada. He gave 70 years of his life to the film industry. He was living and breathing films as all he knew since the age of 10 was films. His father had passed away when he was really young, so his father figures were K.Asif, Mehboob Khan, Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt and a few other directors of that time. Hes worked with almost every actor of his generation and gave everyone a run for their money. He was stress buster for people watching him on screen and brought a smile to everyones face. With having done 400 films his legacy lives on forever.”

Recalling childhood memories and how he would ask him questions, Meezaan continued, “I asked him one day why the name JAGDEEP and he said with a smile (which was perpetually on his face) he wanted to bring light into everyone’s life (jag- world, deep- light). He never interfered in anyones life and always had a happy-go-lucky attitude and lunches at his house were like a story telling session where people of all age groups sat down and listened like children. Thank you dada for passing on that knowledge and those stories on to my family and I. Today I’m upset because there are so many things I wanted to ask you and so many I wanted to say but I guess its meant for another time. I could go on and on about your accomplishments but i guess its time to let go. You’re not here physically but you will always be in our hearts.”

Meezaan regretfully recalled how he had spoken to his grandfather two days back and how he regretted not meeting him one last time. He asked everyone to stay connected with the elderly as one never knew when the end would come. He wrote: “For those who have grandparents living with them or not living with them, PLEASE spend more time. I spoke to my Dada 2 days before his demise and my father passed him the phone while on facetime. All he said to me was “aur beta kaise ho, youre looking very handsome”. Thats the last thing my grandfather said to me and I dont think ill ever forget that image.”

“Make an effort to pick up the phone and speak to them for 2minutes it’ll make their day because I promise you when the time comes for them to depart from this world, you will regret it no matter how much time you guys have spent together. However old, grumpy and irritating they have gotten, cherish every moment with them and make the most of it.”

His rumoured girlfriend, Navya Naveli Nanda dropped a heart emoji in the comments section. Ranveer Singh and Bhumi Pednekar also left messages. Many Instagram users too wrote in to comfort him and had nice things to say to him. One user said: “I appreciate you shared this with us” while another said: “He must be proud to have you as his grandchild ...” Several others dropped red heart emojis on the post.