look news india
Every youth dreams of shining in the corridors of Bollywood and on the cinema screen, but sometimes it is difficult to even guess what terrible turn the path of reality takes. Who can forget Vishal Bhardwaj’s critically acclaimed film ‘Haider’—which starred Shahid Kapoor in the lead role—released in 2014. In the same film, a budding theater artist named Saqib Bilal Shaikh, who played a very small role of just 15 seconds, dreamed of making a name for himself in the world of acting, but within a few years, his life took such a dangerous U-turn that he became a gun-wielding terrorist and was ultimately killed in an encounter with security forces in December 2018.
Saqib had gone to get meat from the market, never returned home
According to media reports, Saqib Bilal Shaikh’s life changed completely when on August 31, 2018, his mother sent him to get meat from a nearby local market. Saqib left the house that day and never returned after that day. Not only had he gone missing, but his friend Mudasir Rashid Parre had also gone missing during the same period. In the initial days, the family did not get any information about them, but later when the truth came to light, the ground slipped from under their feet – both the youths had chosen the path of the dark world of terrorism and were armed with weapons.
The horrific chapter of 18 hours of fierce encounter and the end
Within mere months of his disappearance, a long and fierce encounter broke out between terrorists and security forces in Muzgund on the outskirts of Srinagar in December 2018. This gunfight lasted for about 18 hours, in which the security forces killed three terrorists. Later, when the killed terrorists were identified, it was revealed that Saqib Bilal and his friend Mudasir had also been killed in that encounter. The demise of a shining artist in this manner shocked everyone.
Played a touching scene in Vishal Bhardwaj’s ‘Haider’
Before picking up a gun, Saqib Bilal was an extremely talented and active young man. She worked in the film ‘Haider’ and according to her maternal uncle Asim Aijaz, even though her role in the film was only for 15 seconds, it was quite impactful. Saqib was featured in a bomb blast sequence filmed on the Amar Singh College campus, in which he becomes the sole survivor of the horrific disaster. Apart from this, he also showcased his acting talent in local stages and plays, which were staged from Srinagar to Odisha and people praised his art.
Incomplete questions and helplessness of the family
Even today, Saqib’s family does not have any proper answer as to why the boy, who belonged to an elite and financially capable family, whose every need was fulfilled, suddenly chose the path of violence. After the incident, the family had only one last wish that the security forces should capture Saqib alive so that they could ask him why he did this, but after his death in the encounter, that question remained incomplete and a painful puzzle forever.