Farooq was born on August 18, 1948 in Dhaka. He first appeared in ‘Jolchobi’ opposite Kabori in 1971. Later, he rose to fame by working as a supporting actor in ‘Abar Tora Manush Ho’ directed by Ataur Rahman in 1973 and ‘Alor Michil’ directed by Narayan Ghosh Mita in 1974. Both the films were inspired by the events of the Liberation War.
Farooq worked in films for nearly five decades. He was elected Member of Parliament from Dhaka-17 constituency in the 11th parliamentary elections.