Amjad Khan

Amjad Khan (21 October 1943 – 27 July 1992) was a renowned Indian actor and film director. 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 and of Dilawar in Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978).

Amjad Khan was born in Bombay, Bombay State, British India on 12 November 1940 into a family of Khalil Pashtuns descent to actor Jayant, who was originally from Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan). 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. 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.

Before Amjad Khan came to films, he was a theatre actor. His first role was as a child actor at the age of 11 in the film Nazneen in 1951. His next role was at the age of 17 in the film Ab Dilli Dur Nahin (1957). He assisted K. Asif in the film Love And God in the late 1960s 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.

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.

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.[ 11]

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.

He ventured into directing for a brief period 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.

Amjad was the president of the Actors Guild Association.[citation needed ]

In 1972, he married Shaila Khan, the daughter of Urdu poet and screenwriter Akhtar ul Iman,[ 12] 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,[ 13] and another son, Seemab Khan, who is a club cricketer.[ 14] Ahlam married popular theatre actor Zafar Karachiwala in 2011. [ 15] [ 16]

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.[ 17]

On 15 October 1976,[ 18] [ 19] Amjad Khan met with a serious accident on the Mumbai-Goa highway which left him with broken ribs and a punctured lung. He was going to participate in the shooting of the film The Great Gambler, starring Amitabh Bachchan.[ 20]

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 film career.[ 17] On 27 July 1992, he died of a heart attack. He was 51.[ 18] His death was attributed to a myocardial infarction.[ 17]

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.[ 21] 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.[ 22] Khan's performance in Sholay was list in "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema" by Forbes.[ 23]

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.[ 22]

In 2022, Khan was placed in Outlook India' s "75 Best Bollywood Actors" list.[ 24]