Amjad Khan (actor)

Amjad Khan (12 November 1940 – 27 July 1992) was a renowned Indian actor and film director.<ref name=MSN>Template:Cite news</ref> He worked in over 132 films in a career spanning nearly twenty years. He was the son of the actor Jayant. He gained popularity for villainous roles in mostly Hindi films, the most famous among his enacted roles being Gabbar Singh in the 1975 film Sholay<ref name=TOI>Template:Cite news</ref> and of Dilawar in Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978).

Early life and education

Amjad Khan was born in Bombay, British India on 12 November 1940 into a family of Pashtuns to actor Jayant, who was originally from Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan).<ref name="independent">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His younger brother Imtiaz Khan was also an actor.

Amjad Khan was educated at St. Andrew's High School in Bandra. He then attended R. D. National College where he held the position of general secretary. During his college and school days, he worked as a theater artist and performed in his college with his brother. Later, he earned his master's in philosophy (first class) from Bombay University and used to win prizes both as actor and as director at the inter-collegiate theatre festivals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Apart from English and Urdu, Amjad Khan was also fluent in Persian, having done another master's in Persian literature, and he would help his wife for her exams in this subject.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Career

Early career (1951-1975)

Khan started his career as a child actor with his first film role at the age of 11 in the film Nazneen in 1951. His next film roles were in Ab Dilli Dur Nahin (1957) and Maya (1961). He assisted K. Asif during the making of the film Love And God and had a brief appearance in the film. The film was left incomplete after Asif's death in 1971, and it was finally released in 1986. In 1973, he appeared in Hindustan Ki Kasam in a small role.

Sholay (1975) and others

In 1975, Khan was offered the role of dacoit Gabbar Singh for the film Sholay by one of its writers, Salim Khan. In preparation for the role, he read Abhishapth Chambal, a book on Chambal dacoits written by Taroon Kumar Bhaduri (actress Jaya Bhaduri's father). Sholay went on to become a blockbuster and one of his most acclaimed and well known roles.<ref name="independent"/>

After the success of Sholay, Khan continued to play negative roles in many subsequent Hindi films in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s – superseding, in terms of popularity and demand, the earlier Indian actor, Ajit. He often acted as villain opposite Amitabh Bachchan as the hero. His role in Inkaar was also presented in terrifying manner. He made his presence felt in Des Pardes, Nastik, Satte Pe Satta, Chambal Ki Kasam, Ganga Ki Saugandh, Hum Kisise Kum Nahin and Naseeb.<ref name=citwf>Template:Cite web</ref>

Khan was also acclaimed for playing many unconventional roles. In the critically acclaimed film Shatranj Ke Khiladi (1977) (based on the novel of the same title), by Munshi Premchand and directed by Satyajit Ray, Khan played the helpless and deluded monarch Wajid Ali Shah, whose kingdom, Avadh, is being targeted by British colonialists from the British East India Company. It is the only movie in which he dubbed a song. In 1979, he portrayed Emperor Akbar in the film Meera. He played many positive roles such as in Yaarana (1981) and Laawaris (1981) as Amitabh's friend and father respectively, Rocky (1981) and Commander (1981). In the art film Utsav (1984), he portrayed Vatsayana, the author of the Kama Sutra. In 1988, he appeared in the Merchant Ivory English language film The Perfect Murder as an underworld don. He excelled at playing comical characters in films such as Qurbani (1980), Love Story and Chameli Ki Shaadi (1986). In 1991, he reprised his role as Gabbar Singh in Ramgarh Ke Sholay, a parody of the legendary film which included look-alikes of Dev Anand and Amitabh Bachchan.

Directorial work

He ventured into directing in the 1980s, directing and starring in Chor Police (1983) and Ameer Aadmi Gareeb Aadmi (1985), both of the films did not do well at the box office.<ref name="independent"/> His first directorial venture Adhura Aadmi remained incomplete.

Other work

Amjad was the president of the Actors Guild Association.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life and death

Relationships and family

In 1972, he married Shaila Khan, the daughter of Urdu poet and screenwriter Akhtar ul Iman,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and in the following year, she gave birth to their first child, Shadaab Khan, who would later join the entertainment industry. He also had a daughter, Ahlam Khan, an actress and screenwriter,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and another son, Seemab Khan, who is a club cricketer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ahlam married popular theatre actor Zafar Karachiwala in 2011.<ref name=DailyIndia>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Literature and philosophy

Amjad Khan was fond of literature and philosophy, having studied the subject, often quoting English poets such as Keats, Byron, Wordsworth, Shelley as well ancient Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

Accident

On 15 October 1976,<ref name="Tragic Nostalgia">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Amjad Khan met with a serious accident on the Mumbai-Goa highway which left him with broken ribs and a punctured lung. He was on his way to the filming of The Great Gambler, starring Amitabh Bachchan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Last years

Amjad Khan was passionate about badminton and bull-work but, following another accident, he was diagnosed with Bell's palsy in 1984. This led to a course of steroid treatment which, combined with his poor eating habits, caused excessive weight gain that negatively affected both his health and his career.<ref name=":0" /> On 27 July 1992, he died of a heart attack. He was 51.<ref name="Tragic Nostalgia" /><ref name="DailyIndia" /> His death was attributed to a myocardial infarction.<ref name=":0" />

Artistry and legacy

Khan is known for his powerful screen presence and voice. His famous character Gabbar Singh remains one of the most mimicked and admired characters in Indian pop culture.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Khan demonstrated himself from the poetic nobility of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah in Satyajit Ray’s Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977), to humorous characters in films like Qurbani and Utsav. Despite struggling with health complications after a severe accident in 1976, he continued to deliver impactful performances throughout the 1980s. He transitioned into comedic and character roles, earning admiration for his ability to reinvent himself.<ref name=ser>Template:Cite web</ref> Khan's performance in Sholay was list in "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema" by Forbes.<ref name="Forbes">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Khan was also known for his generosity, wit and leadership. He served as president of the Cine Artistes Association, where he advocated for actor welfare. His peers frequently recalled his sense of humor and strong moral principles.<ref name=ser/>

In 2022, Khan was placed in Outlook IndiaTemplate:'s "75 Best Bollywood Actors" list.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

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• Amjad Khan biography (archived 14 May 2013)