Ajit Khan (1922–1998) was an Indian actor. He is best known for playing lead roles in films such as Bekasoor (1950), Nastik (1954), Marine Drive (1955) and Mehndi (1958). Ajit Khan usually played the role of a gang leader or a sophisticated but heartless villain. He is credited for playing the most notorious villains in Bollywood with his scary voice. Ajit Khan died of a heart attack on 22 October 1998.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Ajit Khan was born Hamid Ali Khan on Friday, 27 January 1922 (age 76 at the time of death) in Golconda, Hyderabad State, British India (present-day Hyderabad, Telangana). Their zodiac sign is Aquarius. Ajit Khan’s early education took place in Warangal. Then he studied in government. Junior College, Hanamkonda, Warangal. Ajit Khan reportedly ran away from home to pursue his dreams of becoming an actor and sold his books to travel to Mumbai. Upon reaching Mumbai he had no place to stay and spent his days in a cement pipe. Having trouble paying for temporary quarters, he assumed a menacing personality, physically overpowering goons, and became known as the don of the area. They did not have to pay for cement pipes and were given free food.
Ajit Khan as a young actor
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 11″
Weight (Approx): 80 kg
Hair Color: Black
Eye colour: black
Family
Ajit Khan belongs to a Deccani Muslim family. The family was part of the Barozai clan of Pashtuns. Ajit’s ancestors came from Kandahar, Afghanistan and first moved to Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh before eventually settling in Hyderabad.
parents and siblings
His father, Bashir Ali Khan (deceased) was part of the Nizam’s army. His mother, Sultan Jahan Begum (deceased) was the mother of four children. Ajit Khan had two sisters and a younger brother named Wahid Ali Khan.
wife and children
Ajit had married three times. His first wife, Gwen D’Monte, was Anglo-Indian and Christian and they married after a short courtship. However, their marriage did not last long due to significant cultural differences and they did not have any children. For his second marriage, Ajit married Shahida, a young woman from his community and similar social background. His parents arranged the marriage in the traditional Indian manner. This marriage was very harmonious and lasted until Shahida’s demise. They had three sons: Shahid Ali Khan, Zahid Ali Khan and Abid Ali Khan.
Ajit Khan with his sons from his second wife Shahida – Shahid Ali Khan, Zahid Ali Khan, and Abid Ali Khan, and his grandchildren
Ajit’s third marriage was to Sara/Sara and actor Jayant (best known as the father of actor Amjad Khan) played an important role in this marriage. Ajit and his third wife have two more sons named Shehzad Khan and Arbaaz Khan, who are actors.
Ajit Khan with his third wife Sara
religion/religious views
Ajit Khan followed the religion of Islam.
livelihood
film
Ajit faced challenges in connecting with people and getting accepted for projects. He worked as an “extra” in various films to support himself. Eventually, he got his big break and appeared in leading roles, initially using his real name, Hamid Khan. However, he did not achieve much success. Following Nana Bhai Bhatt’s advice, he adopted the screen name “Ajit”, meaning “indomitable”. Still there was no significant change in his luck. Although he acted in several films and gained popularity among audiences due to his distinctive baritone voice and impressive personality, he did not perform well at the box office. Ajit Khan began acting in the films Kurukshetra (1945), Bekasoor (1950), where he appeared in Brij and Saiyaan (1951), where he played the role of Vijay.
Ajit Khan on the poster of Saiyaan (1951)
As a hero, Ajit appeared in films such as Dholak (1951), where he played Manohar, Nastik (1953), Bara-Dari (1955), and Bada Bhai (1957). Where he displayed commendable acting skills. However, he later played other lead roles in films such as Naya Daur and Mughal-e-Azam. Ajit started playing the role of villain. He debuted as a villain in the film Suraj (1966).
Ajit Khan on the poster of Suraj (1966)
He later appeared in films such as Zanjeer (1973), where he played Teja the Don and received praise for his performance, and Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), and Kalicharan (1976) in which he delivered the iconic dialogue “The whole city “Me” said. Sher Naam Se Janta Hai”, showcases his talent of portraying negative characters.
Ajit Khan on the poster of Kalicharan (1976)
Director Prakash Mehra said that Ajit Khan revolutionized villains in Bollywood. Ajith believed that there are too many loudmouth villains, which is why he created a brand of villains who are suave and soft-spoken. At one point in his career, he was being paid more for playing villains than for film heroes.
Death
Ajit Khan died of a heart attack on 22 October 1998 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (present-day Hyderabad, Telangana) at the age of 76. His health began to decline after bypass surgery in 1981, ultimately leading to his death from a fatal heart attack.
Facts/General Knowledge
- Ajit was a great friend of veteran actor Rajendra Kumar and acknowledged his important role in advising and supporting him to become the “prominent villain” instead of remaining the second lead hero. It was Rajendra Kumar who was instrumental in getting Ajit his first role as a villain in the film Suraj (1966).
Ajit Khan on the poster of Suraj (1966)
- Ajit Khan is called the ‘Lion’ of Bollywood because of his dialogue delivery and tremendous acting as a villain.
- His most famous dialogues are “Mona Darling” and “Lily Don’t Be Silly”.
- Ajit Khan used to smoke one or two packets of Dunhill cigarettes a day.
Ajit Khan is enjoying cigarette
- Ajit Khan spent the last 18 years of his life in farming and studies.
- Following Nana Bhai Bhatt’s advice, Hamid Ali Khan decided to adopt the screen name “Ajit”, which stands for “indomitable”. However, despite changing the name, there was no significant improvement in his fortunes. Later, film director K. Amarnath, who had worked with him in Bekasoor, recommended that the actor choose a short name. After considering the options, Hamid chose “Ajit” as his chosen screen name.
- If the producers were not able to pay Ajit Khan the entire amount due to him, Ajit would take whatever the producer had in his hands and would never give any information about the remaining outstanding amount.
- After gaining fame for the villainous characters he played, there were many imitations of his characters and Ajit Khan’s acting style. His son Shehzad Khan also portrayed his father’s villainous characters in a humorous manner.
- Iqbal Rizvi wrote Ajit Khan’s biography ‘Ajit the Lion: Biography of Ajit Khan – A Legend of Indian Cinema’.
‘Ajit the Lion: Biography of Ajit Khan – A Legend of Indian Cinema’ by Iqbal Rizvi
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn