Ajit Khan (1922-1998) was an Indian actor. He is well known for playing the lead role in films like Beqasoor (1950), Nastik (1954), Marine Drive (1955) and Mehndi (1958). Ajit Khan usually played a gang leader or a sophisticated but heartless villain. He is credited with playing some of Bollywood’s most famous villains with his menacing voice. Ajit Khan died on October 22, 1998 due to cardiac arrest.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Ajit Khan was born Hamid Ali Khan on Friday 27 January 1922 (age 76 at death) in Golconda, Hyderabad State, British India (now Hyderabad, Telangana). His zodiac sign is Aquarius. Ajit Khan’s early education took place in Warangal. Then he studied in the government. Junior College, Hanamkonda, Warangal. Ajit Khan reportedly ran away from home to pursue his acting dreams and sold his books to travel to Mumbai. After arriving in Mumbai, he had no place to live and spent his days in a cement pipe. After being forced to pay for the makeshift accommodation, he donned a menacing persona, beat the goons physically and became known as the don of the area. He did not have to pay for the cement pipe and they gave him free food.
Ajit Khan as a young actor
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 11″
Weight (approx): 80 kg
Hair color: black
Eye Color: Black
family
Ajit Khan belongs to a Deccan Muslim family. The family was part of the Barozai clan of Pashtuns. Ajith’s ancestors came from Kandahar, Afghanistan and they first moved to Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh before finally settling in Hyderabad.
parents and siblings
His father, Bashir Ali Khan (deceased) was part of the Nizam’s army. His mother Sultan Jehan Begum (deceased) was the mother of four children. Ajit Khan had two sisters and a younger brother named Wahid Ali Khan.
wife and children
Ajith had three marriages. His first wife Gwen D’Monte was Anglo-Indian and Christian and they married after a brief love affair. However, their marriage did not last long due to significant cultural differences and they had no children together. For his second marriage, Ajith married Shahida, a young lady from his community and similar social background. Their parents arranged the marriage in a traditional Indian manner. This marriage was very harmonious and lasted until Shahida’s death. They were blessed with 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 grandchildren
Ajith’s third marriage was to Sara/Sara and actor Jayanti (known as actor Amjad Khan’s father) was instrumental in this marriage. Ajith and his third wife had two more sons named Shehzad Khan and Arbaaz Khan who are actors.
Ajit Khan with his third wife Sara
Religion/Religious Beliefs
Ajit Khan followed Islamism.
Career
movie
Ajith faced challenges in connecting with people and getting accepted into projects. He worked “overtime” 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 ‘Ajith’, which means ‘Indefatigable’. Nevertheless, his luck did not change dramatically. Although he starred in several films and gained popularity among audiences for his distinctive baritone voice and impressive personality, it did not fare well at the box office. Ajit Khan started appearing in the films Kurukshetra (1945), Beqasoor (1950) where he appeared as Brij and Saiyan (1951) where he played the role of Vijay.
Ajit Khan on the poster of Sayan (1951)
As a hero, Ajith appeared in films such as Dholak (1951), where he portrayed the character of Manohar, Nastik (1953), Bara-Dari (1955) and Bada Bhai (1957). where he showed commendable acting skills. However, he later moved on to second lead roles in films like Naya Daur and Mughal-e-Azam. Ajith changed the role of the villain. He made his debut as a villain in Suraj (1966).
Ajit Khan on the poster of Suraj (1966)
He later appeared in films like Zanjeer (1973), where he played the role of Teja the Don and received praise for his performance, and Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973) and Kalicharan (1976), where he delivered the iconic dialogue ‘Sara Shehar Mujhe LION Ke Naam Se Janta Hai’, which showcased his understated talent.
Ajit Khan on the poster of Kalicharan (1976)
Director Prakash Mehra said that Ajit Khan has revolutionized villains in Bollywood. Ajith felt that there were too many loud villains, so he created his brand of villains who were polite and soft-spoken. At a certain point in his career, he was paid more to play villains than movie heroes.
death
Ajit Khan died on 22 October 1998, aged 76, of cardiac arrest in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (now Hyderabad, Telangana). His health began to decline after bypass surgery in 1981, eventually leading to his death from a heart attack.
Facts/Trivia
- Ajith was very good friends with veteran actor Rajendra Kumar and acknowledged his crucial role in advising and supporting him in transitioning to the “leading villain” rather than remaining a secondary hero. Rajendra Kumar was instrumental in securing Ajith’s first role as a villain in Suraj (1966).
Ajit Khan on the poster of Suraj (1966)
- Ajit Khan is known as the ‘Lion’ of Bollywood, thanks to his dialogue delivery and fierce performance as a villain.
- His most famous dialogues are “Mona Darling” and “Lilly don’t be silly”.
- Ajit Khan used to smoke one or two packs of cigarettes a day.
Ajit Khan enjoys a cigarette
- Ajit Khan spent the last 18 years of his life in farming and reading.
- Following Nana Bhai Bhatt’s advice, Hamid Ali Khan decided to adopt the screen name ‘Ajit’, which means ‘the indefatigable’. However, despite the name change, his luck did not improve significantly. Later, the film director K. Amarnath, who worked with him in Bekasur, advised the actor to choose a shorter name. After considering the options, Hamid settles on ‘Ajit’ as his screen name of choice.
- If the producers were unable to pay Ajit Khan the full amount owed to him, Ajith would take whatever the producer had and never pay the rest.
- After his portrayal of villainous characters rose to fame, there were several spoofs of the characters and Ajit Khan’s acting style. His son Shehzad Khan portrayed his father’s villainous characters in a comical light as well.
- Iqbal Rizvi has written a biography of Ajit Khan called “Ajit Lion: A Biography of Ajit Khan – A Legend of Indian Cinema”.
“Ajit Lomi: A Biography of Ajit Khan – A Legend of Indian Cinema” by Iqbal Rizvi
Categories: Bollywood
Source: dienchau2.edu.vn
