Kader Khan – The polymath of Indian cinema

It’s not the duration of the act but the impact it can create that matters the most. There are some exceptional movies where the Protagonists all by themselves pulled the act or movie successfully. But other times, it is the supporting star cast that make or break the movie. They enhance the act and reinforce the performance of the main character. Apparently, it was the veteran actor Kader Khan who was omnipresent in all the Bollywood movies from the 1970s – 2000s and enhanced its power.

From Afghanistan to Mumbai

Kader Khan was born on 22nd of October, 1937 in Kabul, Afghanistan. His father Abdul Rahman Khan was an ethnic Pashtun hailing from Kandahar while his mother Iqbal Begum was from Pishin (now in Balochistan). He had three brothers who suffered from untimely deaths. To save their only alive son, Kader Khan, his family decided to leave Afghanistan and migrated to Mumbai. In the initial days, they managed with whatever they got and started living in a red-light area in Kamathipura, Mumbai.

His parents would often quarrel for economic reasons. It only ended when they separated their ways and got divorced. She later got remarried but that too didn’t change their fate. Kader’s step-father was even worse and was a living personification of step-father.

To make ends meet, Kader Khan once was adamant to work at a factory. But it was his mother that gave him an important life lesson. She taught him that working for a few coins will impair his future and he should focus on studies which can change their fortune.

Following his mother’s advice, he completed his studies from Ismail Yusuf College and got a graduation degree in Civil Engineering. Between 1970 and 1975, he became a professor of Civil Engineering at M. H. Saboo Siddik College, Byculla.

Fateful conversation with Dilip Kumar

Apart from Civil Engineering, Kader Khan was fond of acting. He would often perform in plays and his acting passion was duly recognised. Once, Comedian Agha spotted him while he was performing in a play named Taash Ke Patey. He was so impressed by Kader Khan’s acting skills that he persuaded Dilip Kumar to see the play.

Later, Kader Khan received a phone call from the tragedy king Dilip Kumar. During the conversation, Kader Khan put forth two conditions for Dilip Kumar to watch his act. He had categorically asked Dilip Sahab to firstly come on time and not move or leave the play in between as it would be a disrespect for the actors playing their part in the play.

Later, Dilip Kumar arrived half an hour early to watch Kader Khan perform. After the play was over, Dilip Kumar went to the podium and heaped praises at Kader Khan. He was so impressed by Kader Khan’s acting that he signed him for upcoming films, Sagina and Bairaag.

Evidently, in an interview, Kader Khan termed this conversation as the kick starter moment for his cinematic career.

Versatile actor and Master of all trades

The fact that he used to write for theatres played to his advantage. Evidently, director Narinder Bedi was moved when he saw Kader Khan’s write ups for the play. He then asked him to co-write the script for Jawani Diwani with Inder Raj Anand.

However, he had to go through one more test. Film Producer and Director Manmohan Desai had reservations about Kader Khan. He was of the opinion that Kader Khan could at best write shayaris. Whereas what he needed was a powerful dialogue writer.

Kader Khan took it as a challenge and came back with impressive and impactful dialogues which left Manmohan Desai awestruck. He later went inside his house and gave several presents including a Toshiba TV and Rs 21,000 as a fee for the dialogues.

Later, he started appearing in movies from the Rajesh Khanna-starrer film Daag. Overall, he appeared in over 300 Bollywood films. Between, 1970s and early 2000s, he was a prolific screenwriter for Bollywood. He wrote dialogues for around 200 films.

He was the villain of the 1970s, the comedian who could even crack up stone-hearted people with his comic timings in the 80s. In the 90s he was the comic duo with Govinda. He was an institution in himself with versatile acting skills flawlessly pulling every emotion with ease. Whether it was the villain or father figure or comedian or the lead, he was never off place. In a world full of jack of all trades, masters of none, Kadar khan was an actor, comedian, script and dialogue writer. He was the rare example of Master of all. The Cinema lovers will keep enjoying his timeless work in movies and Bollywood owes a lot to the great man.