With a career span of nearly 20 years, Amjad Khan was one of the most loved actor and director by working in more than 130 films. He enjoyed popularity for villainous roles in Hindi films and rose to fame by playing the most iconic role of a dacoit Gabbar Singh in Sholay (1975) and of Dilawar in Muqaddar Ka Sikandar.
On his birth anniversary, here are lesser-known facts about Gabbar Amjad Khan
- Amjad Khan was born to legendary actor Jayant in Peshawar, Pakistan.
- His family is of the Afghani Pashtun descent.
- Before entering the industry, Amjad was a theatre actor.
- He appeared in the film, Nazneen (1951), as a child actor, when he was 11 years old.
- Amjad also played minor roles with father Jayant in a few films.
- Initially, Amjad was rejected by Javed Akhtar for the role of Gabbar Singh, for his dark voice. However, the writers of Sholay insisted on him playing Gabbar Singh, and he nailed it.
- Amjad Khan was 35 years old when he was offered the role of Gabbar.
- He signed Sholay the day his first child was born; September 20, 1973.
- His portrayal of Gabbar Singh is still considered to be the first depiction of pure evil in Indian Cinema.
- To get into the character of Gabbar, he read the book, Abhishapth Chambal, by Tarun Kumar Bhaduri.
- Throughout his career, he never lost his temper on the sets of a movie.
- He was very affectionate towards animals and had two pet dogs.
In 1976, while going for the shoot of the movie, The Great Gambler, Amjad Khan had a severe accident on the Mumbai-Goa highway. The accident left him with a punctured lung and broken ribs. The injuries led him to slip into a coma. Fortunately, Amjad recovered soon.
However, the drugs given to him during the operation caused him to gain a lot of weight that led to further health complications. Amjad’s increased weight resulted in his demise on July 27, 1992, after suffering from a heart attack at the age of 51.
Imtiaz Khan, actor and brother of late Amjad Khan, dies at 77
