Feroz Khan | |
|---|---|
 Feroz Khan in 2005 | |
| Born | Zulfiqar Ali Shah Khan (1935-09-25)25 September 1935[1] |
| Died | 27 April 2009(2009-04-27) (aged 73) |
| Other names | Clint Eastwood of India |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1957–2007 |
| Organization | F.K. Films Private Limited |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingFardeen Khan |
| Relatives | Sanjay Khan (brother) Akbar Khan (brother) Sussanne Khan (niece) Zayed Khan (nephew) |
| Awards | Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award (2001)[2] |
Feroz Khan (bornZulfiqar Ali Shah Khan; 25 September 1935 — 27 April 2009)[3][4] was anIndian actor,filmeditor,producer anddirector best known for his work inIndian cinema. He appeared in over 60 films throughout his career and became one of Bollywood's popular style icons.[5][6] Feroz Khan rose to prominence withPhani Majumdar'sdrama filmOonche Log (1965), and starred in successfulHindi films, such asArzoo (1965),Aag (1967),Safar (1970),Mela (1971),Apradh (1972),Geeta Mera Naam (1974),Khotte Sikkay (1974),Kaala Sona (1975),Dharmatma (1975),Nagin (1976),Shankar Shambhu (1976) andQurbani (1980).[7][8] The 2007 superhitWelcome (2007), was his final film.[9]
He won theFilmfare Best Supporting Actor Award forAadmi Aur Insaan (1969) in 1970, and was honored with theFilmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000.[2] He has been called "Clint Eastwood of India".[10]
Feroz Khan was born on 25 September 1935[1][11][12] inBangalore, India, to Sadiq Ali Khan, anAfghan fromGhazni,Afghanistan, and Fatima, who hadPersian ancestry fromIran.[1][13][14][15] His mother's family dealt inhorse breeding.[1] Khan was educated atBishop Cotton Boys' School andSt. Germain High School,Bangalore. Describing himself as a "rebel", he was kicked out from three schools, and never went to college, despite clearing hisSenior Cambridge examinations, as he moved toBombay (now Mumbai) to pursue a film career.[1]
His younger brothers areShah Abbas Khan (Sanjay Khan), Shahrukh Shah Ali Khan, Sameer Khan andAkbar Khan. Except Shahrukh, all brothers were associated with the entertainment industry. His younger sisters are Khurshid Shahnavar and Dilshad Begum Sheikh, popularly known as Dilshad Bibi.[16][17][18][19]
Khan made his debut as the second lead inDidi (1960).[20][21]
Through the early 1960s and 1970s, he made low-budget thrillers opposite starlets. In 1962, he appeared in an English-language film titledTarzan Goes to India oppositeSimi Garewal.
His first big hit was in 1965, withPhani Majumdar'sOonche Log (1965), where he was pitted against screen idolsRaaj Kumar andAshok Kumar; he gave a notable sensitive performance. It was followed by more small budget hit films likeSamson,Ek Sapera Ek Lootera andChar Darvesh.[22][23] Again, in the same year, he played a sacrificing lover in the mushy musicalArzoo, starringRajendra Kumar andSadhana. With this, Khan started to receive A-list second lead roles.
With the filmAadmi Aur Insaan (1969), Khan won his firstFilmfare award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. His other hit films werePyasi Sham (1969),Safar (1970),Khotey Sikkay (1974),Geeta Mera Naam (1974),Kaala Sona (1975) andShankar Shambhu (1976).[24]
He appeared alongside his younger brother Sanjay Khan in the hit filmsUpaasna (1971),Mela (1971) andNagin (1976).[24]
He became a successful producer and director in 1971 so as to improve his career opportunities as a leading man with his first directorial filmApradh, which was the first Indian movie showing auto racing inGermany; Mumtaaz was his co-star.
He produced, directed and starred in the 1975 filmDharmatma, which was the first Indian film to be shot inAfghanistan and was also his first blockbuster hit as producer, director and star and marked the appearance of actressHema Malini in a glamorous avatar.[25] This movie was inspired by the Hollywood filmThe Godfather.
He also starred in the Punjabi filmBhagat Dhanna Jat (1974).
In 1980, he produced, directed and starred inQurbani, alongsideVinod Khanna andZeenat Aman, which was the biggest hit of his career and launched the singing career of iconicPakistani pop singerNazia Hassan, with her memorable track "Aap Jaisa Koi".[23]
In 1986, he directed and starred inJanbaaz, a box office hit,[26] which some consider to be one of his best movies, featuring an all-star cast with great songs and excellent cinematography.
In 1988, he directed and starred inDayavan, which was a remake of the IndianTamil film titledNayakan.
In 1991, he starred inMeet Mere Man Ke, an outside production which was directed byMehul Kumar.
After directing and starring inYalgaar (1992), he took a long break from acting for 11 years.
He launched his sonFardeen Khan's career with the 1998 filmPrem Aggan, which, however, was a box office bomb.
In 2003, he produced and directedJanasheen, also starring alongside his son Fardeen. This film marked his return to acting after 11 years and was also the last film he directed. Apart from sports cars, he also used performing animals in his films — a chimpanzee and lion were used inJanasheen.[citation needed]
He starred alongside his son again in an outside productionEk Khiladi Ek Haseena in 2005.
He made his last film appearance in the 2007 comedy filmWelcome, co-starringNana Patekar,Anil Kapoor,Paresh Rawal,Akshay Kumar,Katrina Kaif andMallika Sherawat. Initially reluctant, Khan had finally agreed to do the role.Welcome eventually became a massive success, and Khan's dialogueAbhi Hum Zinda Hai(I am still alive) became largely popular among masses.[27]
Feroz Khan married Sundari Khan in 1965.[28] She hails from aSindhi Hindu family.[29][30] They had two children, Laila Khan (born 1970) andFardeen Khan (born 1974): Laila is married to businessman Farhan Furniturewala,Pooja Bedi's ex-husband,[31] while Fardeen is married to Natasha Madhwani, daughter of former Bollywood actressMumtaz.[32] Mumtaz has stated in an interview that Feroz Khan was the most handsome hero in Hindi film industry.[33] They divorced in 1985.
In May 2006, Khan was a subject of major controversy while invited to visit Pakistan. In his remark, Khan stated "I am a proud Indian. India is a secular country.Muslims there are making lot of progress. Our President is a Muslim, Prime Minister aSikh. Pakistan was made in the name ofIslam but look how the Muslims are killing each other. I have not come here on my own. I was invited to come. Our films are so powerful that your government could not stop them for long." The remarks did not go well with thenPresident of PakistanPervez Musharraf, who subsequently stated that Khan will not be issued a visa to Pakistan again.[34]
Feroz Khan's hobbies includedhorse breeding and participating inhorse racing, as wellsnooker, himself organising competitions.[35]
During his last years, his other hobbies included readingphilosophy books and writing poetry.[1]
Khan is known for his flamboyant persona and inimitable style.[20] Tina Das ofThePrint said, "Feroz Khan brought the wild west to Bollywood with his leather boots, hats and cigars, and he did it with swag."[36] Farhana Farook ofFilmfare said, "Feroz Khan wore his identity with elan. He is the original Khan."[21] Subhash K Jha called him "the coolest actor of India".[37]Filmfare placed him fourth in its "Bollywood's most stylish men" list.[38]
In 2022, Khan was placed inOutlook India's "75 Best Bollywood Actors" list.[39]
Right after success of his son Fardeen's movieNo Entry, Khan invitedAnees Bazmee for dinner, who convinced him to doWelcome. During the meeting, Khan displayed signs of lung cancer but kept it to himself then and during the shoot, which was revealed by Bazmee in an interview in 2024.[40]
Khan died oflung cancer on 27 April 2009. He was undergoing treatment at Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai, but expressed his desire to visit his farmhouse in Bangalore. Accordingly, he was brought here, where he died at around 1 a.m.[41]
He was buried in Bangalore near his mother's grave atHosur RoadShia Kabristan.[42]
| Award | Movie | Category | Won/Nominated |
|---|---|---|---|
| BFJA Awards | Aadmi Aur Insaan | Best Supporting Actor | Won |
| Filmfare Awards | Won | ||
| Safar | Nominated | ||
| International Crook | Nominated | ||
| Lifetime Achievement | Lifetime Achievement Award (2001) | Won | |
| IIFA Awards | Janasheen | Best Performance in a Negative Role | Won |
| Zee Awards | Lifetime Achievement | Lifetime Achievement Award (2008) | Won |
| Stardust Awards | Pride Of Industry | Pride Of Industry (2009) | Won |
| Year | Title | Role | Producer | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Zamana | ||||
| Bade Sarkar | Newly Wed Man | ||||
| 1959 | Didi | Madhu | |||
| 1960 | Ghar Ki Laaj | Suresh | |||
| 1961 | Mr. India | Feroz | |||
| 1962 | Private Detective | ||||
| Tarzan Goes to India | Prince Raghu Kumar | ||||
| Reporter Raju | Rajkumar | ||||
| Main Shaadi Karne Chala | Kewal | ||||
| 1963 | Bahurani | Vikram | |||
| 1964 | Suhagan | Shankar | |||
| Samson | Salook | ||||
| Char Dervesh | Qamar Bhakt | ||||
| 1965 | Arzoo | Ramesh | |||
| Oonche Log | Rajnikant (Rajjo) | ||||
| Teesra Kaun | Prakash | ||||
| Ek Sapera Ek Lootera | Mohan/Vijay Pratap Singh | ||||
| 1966 | Tasveer | Prakash | |||
| Main Wohi Hoon | Vijay | ||||
| 1967 | Raat Aur Din | Anil | |||
| Aurat | Anand | ||||
| Woh Koi Aur Hoga | Gopal | ||||
| Raat Andheri Thi | Dilip | ||||
| C.I.D. 909 | Raju/C.I.D. Agent 909 | ||||
| Aag | Shankar | ||||
| 1968 | Nadir Shah | Nadir Shah | |||
| Aaja Sanam | Dr. Satish | ||||
| Jahan Mile Dharti Akash | |||||
| Anjaam | Shekhar | ||||
| 1969 | Pyasi Sham | Ashok | |||
| Aadmi Aur Insaan | Jai Kishan/J.K. | ||||
| Anjaan Hai Goli | Anand | ||||
| 1970 | Safar | Shekhar Kapoor | |||
| 1971 | Ek Paheli | Sudhir | |||
| Upaasna | Advocate Ram | ||||
| Mela | Shakti Singh | ||||
| 1972 | Apradh | Ram Khanna / Ramu | Yes | Yes | |
| 1973 | Kashmakash | Satish Gupta | |||
| 1974 | Kisan Aur Bhagwan | Shyamu | |||
| Bhagat Dhanna Jatt | Shyamu | ||||
| Khote Sikkay | Dilbar | ||||
| Geeta Mera Naam | Raja | ||||
| Anjaan Raahein | Anand | ||||
| International Crook | SP Rajesh | ||||
| 1975 | Dharmatma | Ranbir | Yes | Yes | |
| Kaala Sona | Rakesh | ||||
| Rani Aur Laal Pari | Gulliver | Special appearance | |||
| 1976 | Nagin | Raj | |||
| Shankar Shambhu | Shankar/Badey Thakur | ||||
| Sharafat Chhod Di Main Ne | Raju | ||||
| Kabeela | Mangal | ||||
| 1977 | Jadu Tona | Dr. Kailash | |||
| Darinda | Rajesh | ||||
| 1979 | Chunaoti | Vijay | |||
| 1980 | Qurbani | Rajesh Kumar | Yes | Yes | |
| 1980 | Lahu Pukarega | Sandeep | |||
| 1981 | Khoon Aur Paani | Ram Singh/Thanedar Singh | |||
| 1982 | Kachche Heere | Nephew of Kamal Singh | |||
| 1985 | Ram Tere Kitne Naam | Himself | Cameo | ||
| 1986 | Janbaaz | Inspector Rajesh Singh | Yes | Yes | |
| 1987 | Raj Kapoor | Himself | Cameo | ||
| 1988 | Dayavan | Shankar Waghmare | Yes | Yes | Remake of Mani Ratnam's Nayagan |
| Do Waqt Ki Roti | Shankar | ||||
| Akarshan | Himself | Cameo | |||
| 1991 | Meet Mere Mann Ke | Thakur Jagat Pratap Singh | |||
| 1992 | Yalgaar | Rajesh Ashwini Kumar | Yes | Yes | |
| 1998 | Prem Aggan | Himself | Yes | Yes | Guest appearance in the song "Har Dam Dam Badam" |
| 2002 | Kuch Tum Kaho Kuch Hum Kahein | Himself | |||
| 2003 | Janasheen | Saba Karim Shah | Yes | Yes | |
| 2005 | Chitappa | ||||
| Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena | Jahangir Khan | ||||
| 2007 | Om Shanti Om | Himself | Cameo | ||
| Welcome | Ranvir 'RDX' Dhanraj Xaka |
..one of Bollywood's biggest stars; with his swagger and tough-guy styling he was compared to American leading men like Clint Eastwood or Steve McQueen.
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
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