Amjad Khan died on July 27, 1992, at the age of 51, following a heart attack. The news of his death made headlines. It was a big blow to Hindi cinema, as people said, “Soja beta, ab Gabbar nahin aayega”, with a heavy heart after losing one of the most versatile actors of all time. However, Amjad Khan is best known for playing “Gabbar Singh” in Ramesh Sippy’s film, Sholay. His role as ‘Gabbar Singh’ is one of the greatest characters ever written in Hindi cinema. It was a work of art by the iconic screenwriting duo Salim-Javed, an antagonist who is now a timeless character in our pop culture.

Amjad Khan’s Story: Overnight success with ‘Sholay’ as ‘Gabbar Singh’ to gangster who extended help after producers refused to pay Rs. 1.25 million

It’s true that Gabbar SinghThe character gave Amjad Khan a lot of limelight and took his career to a completely different stature. However, there came a time in his life when producers and directors typecast Amjad Khan for only negative roles. Not only that, but the way he stepped into the shoes of “Gabbar Singh” in Sholaythe public had difficulty seeing him in any other role. Wherever he went, people called him “Gabbar Singh”. Although he has been typecast for villainous roles in Hindi cinema, Amjad Khan has always showcased his acting range with his work in a series of films.

Some of Amjad Khan’s most memorable characters, which proved the mettle of his versatility as an actor, include Shatranj Ke Khilari, Qurbaani, Yaarana, Love Story, And Utsav. Apart from being an exceptional actor, Amjad Khan was a kind-hearted human being. He never spoke ill of anyone in the film industry and always helped people by doing whatever he could. After Amjad Khan’s demise, his son Shadaab Khan revealed that the producers owed his father a whopping sum of Rs. 1.25 crore.

However, when Shadaab Khan’s father Amjad Khan died, the producers refused to pay the money. It was a difficult time for the Khan family as they were struggling financially and no one was coming to their aid. Around that time, a Middle Eastern gangster offered help to Amjad Khan’s family, but the late actor’s wife Shehla Khan refused. The devoted wife clearly told the gangster that her husband never received help from the underworld and that she would not tarnish her husband’s legacy. According to Shadaab Khan, his mother ventured into a construction business and single-handedly brought his family out of financial constraints.

Amjad Khan and Shehla Khan’s love story: She was in school and he was in college when Amjad proposed marriage to Shehla

Amjad Khan and Shehla Khan were neighbors in Bandra, Mumbai. When she was at school at the age of 14, Amjad was a student pursuing a bachelor’s degree. The duo was playing badminton together, and that’s when Amjad told Shehla not to call him ‘Bhaiya’. Soon, Amjad confessed his love to Shehla while she was returning from school. He said, “Hurry up and grow up because I’m going to marry you.”

After some time, Amjad Khan sent a formal marriage proposal to Shehla Khan’s home, which the latter’s father refused, saying his daughter was too young. The actor became furious and even told Shehla that if this had happened in his village, he would have wiped out three generations of the family who had rejected his marriage proposal. Shehla’s father, Akhtar ul-Iman, told her to stay away from Amjad, but she continued to stay in touch with him.

After watching her first adult film with Amjad Khan and learning Persian from him, Shehla fell in love with the actor.

After going to Aligarh, Shehla Khan started exchanging letters with Amjad Khan. However, things turned serious when Shehla returned to Mumbai after falling ill in Aligarh and started taking Persian lessons from Amjad Khan, who had a strong grip on the foreign language. Once, in an old interview, Shehla also revealed that the first adult film she watched in her life was with Amjad. After spending some precious time together, Amjad and Shehla decided to take the plunge. This time, Shehla’s father accepted their decision to spend the rest of their lives together. The couple married in 1972 and welcomed three children, Shadaab Khan, Ahlam Khan and Seemaab Khan.

Amjad Khan had no money to pay his wife’s hospital bills, Shehla Khan’s delivery, Dev Anand’s brother helped him

One of the most heartbreaking stories from Amjad Khan’s life is that he was unable to pay the delivery-related hospital bills of his wife, Shehla Khan, during the birth of their first child , Shadaab. The actor was going through a financial crisis and his inability to pay the hospital bills was breaking him mentally. The man who helped many producers through difficult times was unable to recover his own money. At that time, it was Dev Anand’s brother Chetan Anand who gave Amjad Khan Rs. 400 to settle the hospital charges and bring his wife and newborn baby home.

Amjad Khan bought a buffalo on the sets of Prithvi Theater after learning there was no milk to make tea

Amjad Khan was an exceptional actor, a fierce lover and a man who lived life on his terms. For the uninitiated, Amjad once worked at the famous Prithvi Theater when he couldn’t get a cup of tea due to lack of milk. The actor was a tea addict who drank around 30 cups of tea a day. As a result, as he could not have tea on the sets of Prithvi Theatre, he bought a buffalo with him on the sets the next day. The actor’s devotion to tea left everyone divided and proved that Amjad Khan has always lived his life on his own terms.

What do you think about these interesting anecdotes from Amjad Khan’s illustrious career and cinematic love story? Let us know.

Read also: The painful story of Salma Agha: iconic actress of the 80s, four relationships, two divorces, she still lives alone

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