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Bharati Jaffrey Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 28, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth17 January 1940

Age82 (at time of death)

BirthplaceMumbai, Maharashtra

ProfessionActress

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried (at time of death)

FamilyDaughter of Ashok Kumar; mother Shobha Devi; children Rahul Patel, Saahil Jaffery, Anuradha Patel; siblings Rupa Verma, Preeti Ganguly, Aroop Ganguly

Bharati Jaffrey Biography

Bharati Jaffrey was an Indian actress and theatre artist from Mumbai, best known as the daughter of veteran actor Ashok Kumar. She appeared in television,

Early life and background

Bharati Jaffrey was born on 17 January 1940 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The eldest daughter of actor Ashok Kumar and Shobha Devi, she grew up around cinema and the performing arts. She described accompanying her father to film sets as a formative experience that exposed her to world cinema and nurtured her interest in acting.

Career

Jaffrey worked as an actress and a theatre artist across stage, television and film. Her screen debut came with the 2001 film Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence, directed by Kalpana Lajmi, in which she played a supporting role as a formidable village woman. Prior to that she took roles on television: she appeared in the series Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa in 1998 and in the Star Plus serial Saans in 1999, the latter featuring Neena Gupta and Kanwaljit Singh in its principal cast.

Over the course of her career she was also cast in an international German production, a credit noted among her lesser known professional achievements. Throughout, Jaffrey maintained a presence in both theatre and screen work, often drawing on the artistic upbringing that came from being part of a large family active in Indian cinema.

Public profile

Jaffrey was widely recognized as the daughter of Ashok Kumar and as a member of a prominent film family. Her extended relations included figures from across the industry: she was the niece of singer-actor Kishore Kumar and related to other well-known performers and filmmakers among her cousins and in-laws. Her family connections and her own work in television, film and theatre made her a familiar name within Mumbai’s artistic circles.

Personal life

Bharati Jaffrey was married twice. Her first husband was Dr Veerendra (Virendra) Patel, with whom she had a daughter, Anuradha Patel, who pursued acting. After that marriage ended, Bharati married Hamid (Hameed) Jaffrey, who was the brother of actor Saeed Jaffrey. She adopted two daughters from Hamid Jaffrey’s prior marriage. Her children include sons Rahul Patel, a fashion photographer, and Saahil Jaffery, who is active as an actor, along with daughter Anuradha. Her daughter Anuradha is married to actor Kanwaljit Singh and the couple have three children.

Later life and death

Bharati Jaffrey lived in Mumbai, reportedly at an address in the Chembur neighborhood. She died on 20 September 2022 at the age of 82 after a prolonged illness.

Latest updates

At the time of her passing, news of her death was shared publicly by family members. Her legacy includes the roles she played on stage and screen, and her place within a multigenerational film family whose members remain active in Indian cinema and television.
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Recent Work

Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence

Supporting role as a village woman in the 2001 film directed by Kalpana Lajmi.

2001
Saans

Appeared in the Star Plus television serial in 1999 alongside Neena Gupta and Kanwaljit Singh.

1999
Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa

Television appearance in 1998.

1998
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Career Highlights

  1. Actress and theatre artist active in film, television and stage
  2. Debut film appearance in Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence (2001)
  3. Television roles in Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa (1998) and Saans (1999)
  4. Cast in a German international film production
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Bharati Jaffrey born?

17 January 1940

What is Bharati Jaffrey known for?

Actress

What is Bharati Jaffrey’s marital status?

Married (at time of death)