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Amjad Khan (actor)

Overview

Amjad Khan (12 November 1940 – 27 July 1992) was an Indian actor, director and screenwriter who worked primarily in Hindi cinema. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the dacoit Gabbar Singh in Ramesh Sippy's Sholay (1975), a role that became a landmark in Indian popular cinema and established him as one of the most recognisable screen villains of his generation.

Key facts

Full name Amjad Zakaria Khan
Born 12 November 1940, Peshawar (then British India)
Died 27 July 1992, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Occupation Actor, director, screenwriter
Years active 1957–1992
Notable role Gabbar Singh in Sholay (1975)
Father Jayant (actor Zakaria Khan)
Spouse Shehla Khan
Children Shadaab Khan, Seemaab Khan, Ahlam Khan

Background

Amjad Khan was the son of the actor Jayant (Zakaria Khan), a familiar character actor in Hindi films of the 1950s and 1960s. He grew up in a film-industry household in Bombay and was educated at R. D. National College, where he was active in theatre. He also held a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Bombay. His brothers Imtiaz Khan and Inayat Khan also worked in Hindi cinema.

Career

Early years

Khan made his earliest screen appearances as a child artiste in the late 1950s, including a small role in Ab Dilli Door Nahin (1957). Through the 1960s he worked in theatre in Bombay before moving fully into films as an adult performer in the early 1970s.

Sholay and breakthrough

Sholay, released on 15 August 1975, transformed his career. Cast as the bandit chief Gabbar Singh by director Ramesh Sippy on the recommendation of writer Salim Khan, his menacing portrayal—paired with dialogues by Salim–Javed—became part of the cultural vocabulary of Hindi cinema. The performance fetched him a Filmfare nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Later work

Following Sholay, Khan worked steadily across genres, often as a villain but increasingly in character and comic roles. Notable films include Hum Kisise Kum Naheen (1977), Inkaar (1977), Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978), Suhaag (1979), Qurbani (1980), Yaarana (1981), Laawaris (1981), Satte Pe Satta (1982), Nastik (1983), Mr. Natwarlal (1979) and Love Story (1981).

He also gave acclaimed performances in offbeat and parallel cinema. His role as the Nawab Wajid Ali Shah in Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977) is widely regarded as one of his finest. He worked with Shyam Benegal in Bhumika (1977) and appeared in Muzaffar Ali's Utsav (1984).

Direction

Khan turned director with Chor Police (1983) and later directed Ameer Aadmi Gareeb Aadmi (1985). He also served a term as president of the Cine and TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA) in Bombay.

Later life and death

In 1976, while travelling on the Bombay–Goa highway during the shooting of The Great Gambler, Khan was severely injured in a road accident. The injuries and subsequent medication contributed to long-term health problems, including significant weight gain and heart disease. He continued to act through the 1980s despite declining health and died of a heart attack in Mumbai on 27 July 1992, at the age of 51.

Significance

Amjad Khan is regarded as one of the defining antagonists of Hindi cinema. The character of Gabbar Singh has been ranked by Indian film critics and trade publications among the greatest villains in Indian film history, and lines from the role remain in wide popular circulation. His range, extending from menacing dacoits to the cultured, melancholic Wajid Ali Shah of Shatranj Ke Khilari, marked him as a versatile character actor rather than a stock villain.

References