Important movies of Amjad Khan
Sholay
|
I STARS OFTEN BECOME synonymous with one role. Think of Nargis and you are immediately reminded of her Radha in Mehboob Khan's 'Mother India'. Or think of Dilip Kumar and the picture of 'Devdas' driving himself into a state of drunken doom immediately comes to mind. No actor in the history of cinema from any part of the world has been so closely associated with any one role as Amjad Khan with Gabbar Singh in 'Sholay'. Though Amjad gave brilliant performances subsequently in Feroz Khan's 'Qurbani', Gulzar's 'Lekin', Prakash Mehra's 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar' and Manmohan Desai's 'Suhaag', it was Gabbar Singh with his Chambal "chaal" and "awadhi" slang that had the nation trapped in a terror zone for months and years. Today, 25 years after its
release, 'Sholay' and Gabbar Singh still exemplify comicbook villainy laced with dread dynamism brutality and misogyny. And to think that Amjad nearly lost the role to Danny Denzongpa! 'Sholay' marked a culmination of ten years of struggle for Amjad Khan. A compulsive stage actor, Amjad was the second son of the versatile character actor Jayant (Amjad's brother Imtiaz Khan is also an actor seen lately in Mazhar Khan's Gang). After years of struggle, Amjad was seen on screen for the first time in 1973. The film was Chetan Anand's 'Hindustan Ki Kasam' where Amjad played the role of a Pakistani army general.
'Sholay' was signed on the day Amjad's son Shadaab was born. The film made and unmade Amjad's career. While it was a spectacular start for stardom, it was also a deadend. Where could Amjad go after 'Sholay'? He struggled on, even directed two very styl-ish but unsuccessful films, 'Chor Police' and 'Ameer Aadmi Gareeb Aadmi'. But career deadends and a near-fatal road accident in the mid-70s took their toll on Amjad's career. He died brokenhearted of a fatal heart attack in 1993. Amjad was only 49! Today, his son Shadaab, who made his debut opposite Rani Mukherjee in 'Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat' continues his father's struggle.
It is said that Amjad was quite a holy terror in his youth. Something like what Danny and Shatrughan Sinha were shown to be in Gulzar's 'Mere Apne'. Amjad put his wild days behind him the minute he stepped into movies. He was known among friends as a gentle giant, ceaselessly sipping on cups of chai (Amjad was a teetotaller), forever lending a helping hand to those who wanted it, constantly representing the film industry in social and cultural activities. Everyone in the industry was Amjadbhai's friend. He was particularly close to Amitabh Bachchan. After Amjad's accident, Amitabh was by his side constantly, nursing his friend back to health. A tremendously versatile and underused actor, the post-Sholay summit in Amjad's career came when he played the poetic Nawab Wajid Ali Shah in Satyajit Ray's first and only Hindi film 'Shatranj Ke Khiladi'. The performance, punctuated by pathos and poetry, was a piece de resistance. It showed critics that there was life after 'Sholay' for Amjad.
But where were the opportunities? Apart from a few notable roles, the Hindi commercial cinema couldn't a find a suitable niche for this gentle giant. He struggled to make himself noticed and proved equally adequate in comedy ('Qurbani', 'Love Story') and sinister roles ('Muqaddar Ka Sikandar', 'Charas').The tragedy of Amjad Khan is the tragedy of stereotyping in the commercial Hindi cinema. If Gabbar Singh is the most immortal
villain ever invented in Hindi cinema, why doesn't Amjad Khan's reputation match the most famous role that he played?
|
|
