Amjad Khan

As Gabbar Singh, Amjad Khan’s dialogue delivery had a whiplash ferocity that fascinated viewers. Yet, at one time Amjad was almost dropped from Sholay because scriptwriter Javed Akhtar found his voice weak! Fortunately, director Ramesh Sippy’s judgement prevailed. Amjad, too, realised that Sholay could make or break his career and put in a concentrated effort. Eschewing the prototype — a dhoti-clad dacoit with a tilak on the forehead — Amjad sported army patrols purchased from Chor Bazaar. He strung a bullet belt over his shoulder instead of strapping it to his waist and even blackened his teeth to vivify the tobacco-chewing Gabbar Singh.

The second son of 50s character actor, Jayant, Amjad was notorious from an early age. He had once broken a fellow student’s head and while training for the NCC, had threatened an officer with a gun. However, close encounters with the works of literary giants like Gibran, Byron and Maupassant mellowed Amjad and steered him towards theatre. Amjad was to be launched as a hero with a home production, Patthar Ke Sanam in 1965, but the film did not proceed beyond its inception. After a few inconsequential roles, Amjad signed Sholay in 1973, the day his son Shadaab was born. Sholay marked the culmination of 10 years of struggle for Amjad.

Amjad parlayed his ,Sholay success into stardom. But he had begun at the top and had nowhere left to go. His roles in films that followed (Muqaddar Ka Sikander, Suhaag, Mr Natwarlal) paled in comparison. Only an occasional film like Inkaar (’77) proved worthwhile. The perverse glee his character displayed, especially while torturing a cockroach with his cigarette butt, was a new low in human debasement.

A major car accident while travelling to the location of Wattan nearly killed Amjad, but with friend Amitabh’s support, and his own iron will, Amjad effected a miraculous recovery. However, his career stagnated despite the title role in Dada (’79) and two successful comic cameos — the wisecracking inspector of Qurbani (’80) and the Haryanvi policeman of Love Story (’81). Also, as a result of his excessive drug intake in the course of the treatment of his broken ribs, Amjad developed a serious weight problem. He could no longer participate in daredevil stunts. Few roles were now offered to him and Amjad deflected to direction. Unfortunately, his two directorial ventures, the slickly mounted Chor Police and Ameer Aadmi Gareeb Aadmi, turned out to be box office turkeys.

In 1993, Amjad succumbed to a severe heart attack. The prematurely born Amjad died prematurely at 49. But he had the satisfaction of knowing that his alter ego, the imperviously cruel Gabbar Singh, had become immortal.

Amitabh Bachan, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar and Amjad Khan during the shooting of film Sholay (1975)

Generally accepted to be the greatest Hindi film of all time, this film appeals to everyone and is always a good choice to show to people who have never seen a Hindi film before, as it needs no cultural explanations (even though they can add to the meaning).

Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (Dharmendra) are petty crooks, hired by Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar), a former police officer. He has lost his whole family to the evil Gabber Singh (Amjad Khan) in revenge for being sent to jail. Convinced that the law is inadequate, he is determined to take his own revenge, but Gabbar cuts off his arms. Veeru falls in love with the tonga-driver, Basanti (Hema Malini), while Jai is attracted to the Thakur’s widowed daughter-in-law (Jaya Bhaduri). But they have to fight Gabbar and his gang …

The film’s great foundation is its script and dialogue. Unforgettable scenes include the dismembering of Thakur, Jai’s meeting with Basanti’s aunt (Leela Mishra), and, of course, the episodes in Gabbar’s camp. It is not unusual for people still to quote the dialogues today (especially Gabbar’s ‘Kitne aadmi the?’ speech or his ‘Tera kya hoga Kaaliya? ‘and ‘Arre o Sambha’, but also Basanti’s ‘Chal Basanti!’ and her address to her horse, ‘Chal Dhanno, aaj teri Basanti ki izzat ka sawaal hai’, all of which were released on disk and now can be found on numerous websites).

The film also stands on the performances of the four major stars. Dharmendra as Veeru is the tough man with the soft heart, best remembered for his performance in the drunken scene. Jai is cool, quiet and composed but has a great sense of humour, as demonstrated in his meeting with Basanti’s aunt. Hema Malini shines as the chatterbox of a tonga-driver who is forced to dance for Gabbar’s sadistic enjoyment, while Jaya is silent apart from the flashback to the family’s Holi party. This film shows why Sanjeev Kumar is considered to be one of Indian cinema’s best actors. However, Amjad Khan as the evil Gabbar Singh has the best lines and is the baddie everyone loves to hate. The more evil he is, the more we are entertained.

The R. D. Burman songs include the hugely popular ‘Yeh dosti’, with its crazy sound effects and silly picturisation; the Holi song, ‘Holi ke din’, Basanti’s tortured dance, ‘Jab tak hai jean’, and the dance song performed by Helen, ‘Mehbooba’.

Sholay has been called a ‘curry Western’ (rather than a spaghetti Western), no doubt in part because of its stylish baddies (Jai’s resemblance to Clint Eastwood’s characters has been noted), its bleak locations and the characteristics it shares with films like The Magnificent Seven (1960). While it has features that are unusual in a Hindi film, such as the absence of family ties (apart from those of the Thakur, which have been destroyed) and the presence of evil rather than just a villain, it is still very much a typical Hindi film, with songs, comedy and romance, as is clear from a comparison with its antecedents, in particular Mera gaon mere desh.

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 1975, Genre – Crime, Action, Drama, Romance, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – G. P. Sippy, Director – Ramesh Sippy, Music Director – R. D. Burman, Basu Manohari, Maruti Rao, Cast – Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, Leela Misra, Sachin, Arani, Jalal Agha, Raj Kishore, Amjad Khan, A. K. Hangal, Satyen Kappu, Iftekhar, Vikas Anand, Mac Mohan, Geeta, Om, Rajan Kapoor, Birbal, Bhanumati, Habib

Dimple Kapadia in Lekin (1991)

Cast: Vinod Khanna, Dimple Kapadia, Amjad Khan

Director: Gulzar

Music: Hridayanath Mangeshkar

Lyrics: Gulzar

Capsule Review: Produced by ‘Asia’s Nightingale’ Lata Mangeshkar, Lekin is a ghost story with a difference. Lekin transports us into the twilight ‘now‑you-see-her-now-you-don’t’ zone. Frozen between two lives the female protagonist’s character is guided by the hero Vinod Khanna from one world to another—a symbolic journey represented by a splendid stretch of sand which cinematographer Manmohan Singh captures with undulating elasticity. Gulzar’s vision lends a lyrical luminosity to the epic tale. The film is made memorable by Dimple Kapadia’s unblinking portrayal of the ghost, rendered immeasurably ethereal by the underrated composer Hridayanath Mangeshkar’s haunting melodies sung with ravishing resonance by the composer’s sister Lata Mangeshkar.