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The Many Hats Worn By Kader Khan — Remembering The Bollywood Icon And The Legacy He Left Behind
“Every writer should have an auditorium inside their head and fill it with the audience. The rich will sit in the balcony. But the poor will sit below and they will be the ones to whistle. Write for them.” — Kader Khan
While welcoming 2019 with great fervour, India also bid a mournful farewell to a man who has contributed greatly to the Indian film industry — Kader Khan. Remembered fondly for his iconic roles in films like Himmatwala, Aaj Ka Daur and Judaai, Khan has donned many hats including that of a director and writer. Khan’s contribution to Bollywood as a writer is rather underplayed, but in no way trivial. Khan breathed his last on December 31, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. Khan was reportedly suffering from Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, a degenerative disease that causes loss of balance, difficulty in walking and dementia.
Khan wrote screenplays for the many Bollywood hits including Mr. Natwarlal, Khoon Pasina, Do Aur Do Paanch, Satte Pe Satta, Inquilab, Giraftaar, Hum, Agneepath and Naseeb. Khan was best known for the ease with which he switched between heavy-duty dramatic dialogues and humorous one-liners . Khan is also responsible for one of the most iconic dialogues that has been used for generations by anyone who has ever attempted to imitate Amitabh Bachchan — “Vijay Deenanath Chauhan. Poora naam. Baap ka naam Deenanath Chauhan. Maa ka naam Suhasini Chauhan. Gaanv Mandva. Umr 36 saal, nau mahina, aath din, yeh solva ghanta chal raha hai... Haain?” Apart from Bollywood, Khan has also worked with South Indian filmmakers such as K Raghavendra Rao, K Bapaiah and Narayana Rao Dasari. He also associated with multiple producers from the South looking to remake their films in Hindi.
Khan got his first break as a dialogue writer with Rajesh Khanna’s Roti in 1974. It was after establishing himself as a successful screenplay writer that he decided to try his hand at acting. His acting journey began with him playing the quintessential bad guy, but comedy was where he ultimately manage to carve a niche for himself.
Khan’s inimitable proficiency wasn’t limited to the world of films. Before he began his tryst with cinema, Khan taught civil engineering at MH Saboo Siddik College of Engineering, Mumbai. He graduated from Ismail Yusuf College affiliated to Bombay University, and his inclination towards academics is said to be a result of his family’s prolonged struggle with finances from the time he was a child. It was academics that helped develop Khan’s love for literature and languages. Khan’s fascination with learning languages continued much after he decided to take a back seat from Bollywood, he was fluent in Urdu, Hindi, English and Pashto, and worked actively towards popularisng some of these languages that were gradually disappering, It is also believed that he planned on opening a language school in the early 2000s.
Khan’s legacy is sure to live on through his contributions as a writer and the varied roles he playe on-screen as well as off screen.
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