This is an accepted version of this page
Kader Khan | |
|---|---|
 Khan in 2013 | |
| Born | (1937-10-22)22 October 1937 |
| Died | 31 December 2018(2018-12-31) (aged 81) |
| Alma mater | Ismail Yusuf College |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1971–2018 |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouse | Azra Khan |
| Children | 3 (includingSarfraz Khan) |
| Honours | Padma Shri (2019; posthumously) |
Kader Khan (22 October 1937 – 31 December 2018) was an Indian actor,screenwriter andfilm producer. As an actor, he appeared in over 300Bollywood films after his acting debut in the filmDaag in 1973, starringRajesh Khanna, as a prosecutingattorney.[1] He was a prolific actor and screenwriter in Hindi cinema, from the late 1970s to the late 1990s and wrote dialogues for 200 films. Born inAfghanistan, Khan graduated fromIsmail Yusuf College affiliated toBombay University. Before entering the film industry in 1971, he was a professor ofcivil engineering inM. H. Saboo Siddik College of Engineering,Mumbai.[2]
Kader Khan was born inKabul,Afghanistan, on 22 October 1937 into aSunni Muslim family.[1][3] Khan was an ethnicPashtun of theKakar tribe.[3] His father wasMaulvi Abdul Rahman Khan fromKandahar,Afghanistan while his mother was Iqbal Begum fromPishin in theBaluchistan Province ofBritish India (now inBalochistan, Pakistan).[3][4] Khan's father was ascholar of Islam, a postgraduate inArabic andUrdu, who opened an Islamic institute in theNetherlands to teach Islam to the localDutch, and he often tasked Khan to translate books intoArabic.[2][5] Khan had three brothers, Shams ur Rehman, Fazal Rehman and Habib ur Rehman. His cousin Akbar Khan Kakar hosted a popular show onRadio Pakistan'sQuetta branch.[6]
Khan was raised in theKamathipura neighbourhood ofMumbai after his family moved there fromKabul.[7] Khan had described the locality as being known for drug-peddlers,bootleggers and prostitution.[8] He enrolled in a local municipal school and later in theIsmail Yusuf College[2] after which he graduated in engineering, specialising incivil engineering. Between 1970 and 1975, he taught atM. H. Saboo Siddik College of Engineering inByculla as a professor ofcivil engineering.[2][7] Subjects he taught includedapplied mathematics andmechanics.[2] As a teacher, he was known for making these subjects more accessible to the weaker students.[5]
Mainly inspired byRussian literature and culture, with figures such asStanislavsky,Chekhov andDostoevsky,[5] Khan used to write plays for colleges, also acting in them, while he was still a teacher.[8] While performing in a play namedTaash Ke Patey, he was noted by comedianAgha who then suggested actorDilip Kumar to see the play.Dilip Kumar was impressed and signed him up for his next films,Sagina andBairaag. During an interview withRediff, Khan recalled this as the incident that started his film career.[2] He used to write plays for theatres and was subsequently offered to write the script ofJawani Diwani, which started his career as a scriptwriter[2][7] and for which Khan received 1500 rupees.[9]
Khan acted in over 300[1] films inHindi andUrdu and wrote dialogue for over 250 Indian films, from the 1970s up to the turn of the 21st century.[10] At the insistence ofRajesh Khanna,[11]Manmohan Desai paid him the high amount of one lakh twenty-one thousand (121,000) for writing dialogue for the filmRoti (1974), which was produced by Khanna himself.[2]
He was most popularly recognised for working with actorsAmitabh Bachchan,Rajesh Khanna,Jeetendra,Feroz Khan,Mithun Chakraborty,Anil Kapoor,Govinda and in films directed byT. Rama Rao,K. Raghavendra Rao,K. Bapaiah,Narayana Rao Dasari,David Dhawan. He has worked side by side with other comedians likeAsrani,Shakti Kapoor andJohnny Lever.[10] He has co-starred withAmrish Puri,Prem Chopra,Amjad Khan andAnupam Kher in many films. He has played a large variety of parts in different genres of films like comedy, action, romance, family, social and political.[7]
Khan made his debut withDaag, starringRajesh Khanna in the main lead role, wherein Khan played the supporting role of an advocate.[7] He subsequently starred as supporting artist with roles inDil Diwana,Muqaddar Ka Sikandar andMr. Natwarlal.[12]
He also started getting lengthy roles as a supporting actor after 1984, with films likeMasterji,Dharm Adhikari,Nasihat,Dosti Dushmani,Ghar Sansar,Loha,Insaniyat Ke Dushman,Insaf Ki Pukar,Khudgarz,Sherni,Khoon Bhari Maang,Sone Pe Suhaaga andVardi. From 1988, there were films written with him in main lead, likeKarz Chukana Hai,Jaisi Karni Waisi Bharnii,Biwi Ho To Aisi,Ghar Ho To Aisa,Hum Hain Kamaal Ke andBaap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri.[7]
His first attempt at comedy was withHimmatwala andAaj Ka Daur. He started doing main comedy roles from 1989 onwards, with films likeKishen Kanhaiya,Hum,Ghar Parivar,Bol Radha Bol and continued through the nineties with comedy roles inAankhen,Taqdeerwala,Main Khiladi Tu Anari,Dulhe Raja,Coolie No. 1,Saajan Chale Sasural,Sooryavansham,Judaai,Aunty No. 1,Bade Miyan Chote Miyan,Raja Babu,Khuddar,Chhote Sarkar,Gharwali Baharwali,Hero Hindustani,Sirf Tum andAnari No. 1. Even in early 2000s, he attempted versatile roles with films likeAkhiyon Se Goli Maare,Chalo Ishq Ladaaye,Suno Sasurjee,Yeh Hai Jalwa andMujhse Shaadi Karogi.[13] His work as a comedian was notable inHimmatwala,Aankhen andCoolie No. 1.[14]
He starred in his comedy television series titledHasna Mat (literally:Don't laugh), which aired onStar Plus in 2001. He made a comeback onIndian television with a comedy seriesHi! Padosi... Kaun Hai Doshi? onSahara One.[15]
Khan later appeared inLucky: No Time for Love (2006) andFamily: Ties of Blood (2006).[16] His last screen appearance was inMasti Nahi Sasti (2017).[17][18]
This wasRajesh Khanna who gave him the break as dialogue writer in his filmRoti[7] and thereafter he wrote dialogues for films withRajesh Khanna in the lead likeMaha Chor,Chhailla Babu,Dharam Kanta,Fiffty Fiffty,Naya Kadam,Masterji, andNasihat, all of which were hit films at the box office. Other successful films for which he has written or assisted in dialogues include films starring Jeetendra likeHimmatwala,Jaani Dost,Sarfarosh,Justice Chaudhury,Farz Aur Kanoon,Jeeo Aur Jeene Do,Tohfa,Qaidi andHaisiyat.[7]
As a screenwriter, Kader Khan has worked withManmohan Desai andPrakash Mehra for their films starring Amitabh Bachchan. Besides Amitabh, he was the only one to work in the rival camps of Mehra and Desai. His films with Desai includeDharam Veer,Gangaa Jamunaa Saraswati,Coolie,Desh Premee,Suhaag,Parvarish andAmar Akbar Anthony[2] and films with Prakash Mehra includeJwalamukhi,Sharaabi,Lawaaris andMuqaddar Ka Sikandar.[12][7]
Some of Amitabh Bachchan's films with popular dialogues and scripts were written by Khan. Some notable examples of these movies areMr. Natwarlal,Khoon Pasina,Do Aur Do Paanch,Satte Pe Satta,Inquilab,Giraftaar,Hum andAgneepath. For the filmAgneepath for Bachchan, had received theNational Film Awards.[12]
Khan was in demand by South Indian film production houses such as Padmalaya. Major filmmakers of southern cinema such asNarayana Rao Dasari,K. Bapayya,K. Raghavendra Rao,T. Rama Rao, Dasari Narayan Rao, D. Rama Naidu consulted Khan for doing the script and dialogue of the Hindi remakes of their southern language films.[7] Some of these films includedHimmatwala (1983),Justice Chaudhury (1983),Haisiyat (1984) andSinghasan (1986). As reported inThe Hindu, "He didn't just translate the original films into Hindi but transposed them into a new North setting, culture, context and language."[7]
He was the preferred dialogue writer for the Hindi films directed by K. Raghavendra Rao, Narayana Dasari Rao, K. Bapaiah and for films produced by D. Rama Naidu and K. C. Bokadia. He also wrote dialogues in other successful films in the late '80s to the late '90s likeMeri Aawaz Suno,Angaar,Jail Yatra,Satte Pe Satta,Katilon Ke Kaatil,Waqt Ki Awaz,Coolie No. 1,Main Khiladi Tu Anari,Kanoon Apna Apna,Karma,Sultanat,Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri,Humshakal,Saajan Chale Sasural,Hero Hindustani,Aunty No. 1, andRajaji. He also wrote dialogues for films of Rakesh Roshan likeKhoon Bhari Maang,Kala Bazaar andKhudgarz.
Khan lived inMumbai, until moving toToronto for health reasons.[19] He had three sons: actorSarfaraz Khan, director Shahnawaz Khan, and Abdul Quddus, who lived inCanada and died in 2021.[2][20][21] It was reported that Khan took the citizenship ofCanada.[22] In 2014, Khan visitedMecca to performHajj.[23]
Khan hadsupranuclear palsy, a degenerative disease.[19][24] He was hospitalised on 28 December 2018 complaining of "breathlessness" inCanada, where he stayed with his youngest son and daughter-in-law while seeking treatment.[24] On 31 December 2018 (EST), Khan's eldest son, Sarfaraz, confirmed that Khan had died.[25][26][27] His funeral was held atISNA mosque inMississauga,[28] and he is buried inBrampton's Meadowvale Cemetery.[29]
| Category | Film | Year | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Dialogue | Meri Awaaz Suno | 1982 | Won | [12] |
| Best Comedian | Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri | 1991 | Won | [12] |
| Best Dialogue | Angaar | 1993 | Won | [12] |
| Best Comedian | Himmatwala | 1984 | Nominated | [34] |
| Aaj Ka Daur | 1986 | Nominated | [34] | |
| Sikka | 1990 | Nominated | [34] | |
| Hum | 1992 | Nominated | [34] | |
| Aankhen | 1994 | Nominated | [34] | |
| Main Khiladi Tu Anari | 1995 | Nominated | [34] | |
| Coolie No. 1 | 1996 | Nominated | [34] | |
| Saajan Chale Sasural | 1997 | Nominated | [34] | |
| Dulhe Raja | 1999 | Nominated | [34] |
Basically, I belonged to a staunch Muslim family, born in Kabul.
He was Nominated 9 times as Best Comedian in the Filmfare.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
.svg)
