Amjad Khan passed away on July 27, 1992, at the mere age of 51, due to a heart attack. The news of his death was all over the newspapers. It was a heavy blow to the Hindi cinema, as people said, 'Soja beta, ab Gabbar nahin aayega' with a heavy heart after losing one of the most versatile actors of all time. However, Amjad Khan is best known for playing 'Gabbar Singh' in Ramesh Sippy's film, Sholay. His role as 'Gabbar Singh' is among the greatest characters ever written in Hindi cinema. It was a work of art by the iconic screenwriter duo, Salim-Javed, an antagonist that is now a timeless character in our pop culture.
It is true that Gabbar Singh's character gave Amjad Khan a lot of limelight and took his career to a completely different stature. However, there came a point in his life when producers and directors typecasted Amjad Khan for just negative roles. Not only this, but the way he got into the skin of 'Gabbar Singh' in Sholay, the audience found it hard to see him in any other role. Wherever he used to go, people used to refer to him as 'Gabbar Singh'. Despite being typecast for villainous roles in Hindi cinema, Amjad Khan still showcased his range as an actor with his work in a series of films.
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Some of Amjad Khan's most memorable characters, which proved the mettle of his versatility as an actor, include Shatranj Ke Khilari, Qurbaani, Yaarana, Love Story, and Utsav. Apart from being an exceptional actor, Amjad Khan was a kind-hearted human being. He never talked ill about anyone in the film industry and always helped people by going out of his way. After Amjad Khan's demise, his son, Shadaab Khan, revealed that producers owed his father a mammoth sum of Rs. 1.25 crore.
However, when Shadaab Khan's father, Amjad Khan passed away, producers refused to pay the money. It was a hard time for the Khan family, as they were struggling financially, and no one was coming to their aid. At that time, a Middle-Eastern gangster offered help to Amjad Khan's family, but the late actor's wife, Shehla Khan, refused. The doting wife clearly told the gangster that her husband never took any help from the underworld and that she wouldn't tarnish her husband's legacy. According to Shadaab Khan, his mother got into a construction business and single-handedly took her family out of financial constraints.
Amjad Khan and Shehla Khan were neighbours in Bandra, Mumbai. When she was in school at the age of 14, Amjad was a college student pursuing a BA degree. The duo played badminton together, and it was when Amjad told Shehla not to call her 'Bhaiya'. Soon, Amjad confessed his love to Shehla when she was returning home from school. He said, "Hurry up and grow up because I'm going to marry you".
After some time, Amjad Khan sent an official marriage proposal to Shehla Khan's home, which the latter's father refused, stating that his daughter was too young. The actor got furious and even told Shehla that if this had happened in his village, he would have wiped out three generations of the family who had rejected his marriage proposal. Shehla's father, Akhtar ul-Iman, told her to stay away from Amjad, but she continued staying in touch with him.
After going to Aligarh, Shehla Khan started exchanging letters with Amjad Khan. However, things got serious when Shehla returned to Mumbai after she fell ill in Aligarh and started taking Persian classes from Amjad Khan, who had a strong hold on the foreign language. Once, in an old interview, Shehla also revealed that the first adult film that she watched in her life was with Amjad. After spending some valuable time with each other, Amjad and Shehla decided to take the plunge. This time, Shehla's father agreed to their decision to spend the rest of their lives together. The couple got married in 1972 and welcomed three children, Shadaab Khan, Ahlam Khan, and Seemaab Khan.
One of the most heartbreaking anecdotes from Amjad Khan's life is that he was unable to pay the hospital bills for his wife, Shehla Khan's delivery, when their first child, Shadaab, was born. The actor was going through a financial crisis, and his inability to pay the hospital bills broke him so hard mentally. The man who helped numerous producers in hard times was unable to get his own money back from them. At that time, it was Dev Anand's brother, Chetan Anand, who gave Amjad Khan Rs. 400 to clear the hospital dues and take his wife and newborn child home.
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Amjad Khan was an exceptional actor, a fierce lover, and a man who lived his life on his terms. For the uninitiated, Amjad was once working at the iconic Prithvi Theatre when he couldn't get a cup of tea due to the shortage of milk. The actor was a teaholic who reportedly used to have around 30 cups of tea daily. As a result, when he couldn't get tea on the sets of Prithvi Theatre, he bought a buffalo along with him on the sets the next day. The actor's devotion to tea left everyone in splits and proved that Amjad Khan always lived his life on his own terms.
What are your thoughts on these interesting anecdotes from Amjad Khan's illustrious career and filmy love story? Let us know.
Also Read: Salma Agha's Painful Story: '80s Iconic Actress, Four Relationships, Two Divorces, Still Lives Alone
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