'Gabbar Singh' continues to petrify audiences 24 years after his death
Veteran Bollywood actor Amjad Khan died on July 27, 1992, due to heart attack
LAHORE (Web Desk) – Amjad Khan was the son of Bollywood actor Jayant and was born on November 12, 1940, in Hyderabad, India. The veteran Bollywood actor appeared in over 130 films and left the audiences mesmerised through his exceptional acting.
Amjad was brought up and educated in Mumbai. Prior to adopting acting as a profession, Khan started his career as a theatre actor at a young age and appeared in a number of theatrical roles.
Amjad Khan as Gabbar Singh in Sholay (1975)
His rise came after he played the role of Gabbar Singh in the 1975 blockbuster film, Sholay. With this role, Gabbar was recognised as an icon of evil in the Indian film industry as Amjad did utmost justice to the character. The film featured a number of star Bollywood actors, including Amitabh Bachan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bahaduri but it was Gabbar Singh in particular who looted the hearts of the audiences with his spell-binding acting.
Gabbar Singh s entry in Sholay
A famous scene from Sholay
A number of dialogues delivered by Gabbar Singh are even remembered today owing to their magnitude, context of usage and because of Khan’s perfection of dialogue-delivery. Amjad Khan continued appearing in Bollywood movies and playing negative roles till the 1990s. In most of the movies he appeared as a villain whereas Amitabh Bachan played the role of the protagonist.
In 1991, he appeared in Ramgarh Ke Sholay which was a comical version of the blockbuster movie Sholay. Khan played the reprised role of Gabbar Singh in the film. Some other of his other renowned films are Nastik, Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Yaarana, Laawaris, Utsav, Ganga Ki Saugandh and Naseeb.
Amjad Khan as Wajid Ali Shah in Shatranj Ke Khiladi (1977)
Amjad served as president of the Actors Guild Association and used to resolve conflicts among actors and movie directors and producers. He was married to Shehla Khan in 1972 and had three children. One of his sons, Shaadab Khan, also appeared in a few movies whereas his daughter, Ahlam Khan, was married to theater actor Zafar Karachiwalla.
He had a terrible accident in 1978. The drugs he was given for his recovery made him gain immense weight which gave rise to a number of other health-related issues. Khan breathed his last on July 27, 1992. He died as a result of a heart attack.
While giving an interview in 2015, his son Shadaab Khan said that he was working on a biography about his father. Shadaab said that the book shall have details regarding Amjad Khan’s professional and personal life.
