Mumbai, August 21 (IANS) Bollywood star Jackie Shroff remembered legendary Shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan on his 20th death anniversary on August 21.

Jackie took to his social media account and shared a picture of Ustad Bismillah Khan playing the shehnai. The actor captioned the post, “Remembering Bismillah Khan ji on his death anniversary”.

Jackie has often used his social media space to remember legendary personalities from cinema, music and other fields on their birth anniversaries and death anniversaries.

He has previously paid tribute to icons including filmmaker Satyajit Ray and actor Shashi Kapoor on their important dates.

Talking about Ustad Bismillah Khan, the maestro remains one of the most celebrated names in Indian classical music.

Born on March 21, 1916, in Dumraon, Bihar, he came from a family of musicians and was trained under his maternal uncle Ali Bux 'Vilayatu', a Shehnai player associated with Varanasi's Vishwanath Temple.

Bismillah Khan played a major role in taking the Shehnai from being largely associated with auspicious occasions and traditional ceremonies to the concert stage.

One of the most important moments of his career came on August 15, 1947, when he performed the Shehnai from Delhi's Red Fort as India celebrated its Independence.

He performed across India and internationally and received many major honours for his contribution to music, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Tansen Award and Padma Vibhushan. In 2001, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.

Bismillah Khan also had a connection with Indian cinema. He appeared in Satyajit Ray's acclaimed film “Jalsaghar” and played the shehnai for the 1959 film “Goonj Uthi Shehnai”.

The maestro passed away on August 21, 2006, at the age of 90 after suffering a cardiac arrest in Varanasi. The government declared a day of national mourning following his death. He was buried in Varanasi with his shehnai and received a 21-gun salute from the Indian Army.

Talking about Jackie Shroff, he has built a career spanning more than four decades. He made his acting debut with an uncredited appearance in “Swami Dada” in 1982 before Subhash Ghai launched him as the lead in “Hero” in 1983.

He went on to feature in films such as “Andar Baahar”, “Karma”, “Ram Lakhan”, “Tridev”, “Khalnayak”, “Rangeela”, “Border”, “Bandhan” and “Parinda”.

–IANS

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