Kader Khan (22 October 1937 – 31 December 2018) was an Indian actor,

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and film producer. As an actor, he appeared in over 300

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

films after his debut in the 1973 film '' Daag'', starring

Rajesh Khanna Rajesh Khanna (; born Jatin Khanna; 29 December 1942 – 18 July 2012) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who worked in Hindi films. Considered as one of the greatest and most successful actors in the history of Indian cinema, h ...

, as a prosecuting attorney. He was a prolific actor and screenwriter in Hindi cinema in the period late 1970s to 90s and wrote dialogues for 200 films. Born in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

, Khan graduated from

Ismail Yusuf College Ismail Yusuf College, is the fourth oldest college of Mumbai, India. ''"I Y college"'', as it is popularly known, is managed by Government of Maharashtra. It is the oldest college in North Mumbai. It was established in 1930 with a large donati ...

affiliated to

Bombay University University of Mumbai is a public state university in Mumbai. It is one of the largest university systems in the world with over 549,000 students on its campuses and affiliated colleges. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. It was est ...

. Before entering the film industry in the early 1970s, he was a professor of

civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

in M. H. Saboo Siddik College of Engineering,

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

Early life and education

Kader Khan was born in

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

, on 22 October 1937 into a

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Musli ...

family. His father was Abdul Rahman Khan from

Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...

while his mother was Iqbal Begum from Pishin in the Baluchistan Province of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

(now in

Balochistan, Pakistan Balochistan (; ; , ) is a province of Pakistan. Located in the southwestern region of the country, Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan by land area but is the least populated one. It is bordered by the Pakistani provinces of Khybe ...

). Khan has described his father as a

scholar of Islam In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...

who tasked him to translate books into

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

. Khan had three brothers, Shams ur Rehman, Fazal Rehman and Habib ur Rehman. His cousin Akbar Khan Kakar hosted a popular show on

Radio Pakistan The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (); also known as ''Radio Pakistan'', serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate its founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in P ...

’s

Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...

branch. Khan was an ethnic

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...

of the

Kakar The Kakar (Pashto: کاکړ) is a Gharghashti Pashtun tribe, based in Afghanistan, parts of Iran, and northern Balochistan in Pakistan. Origins of the tribe Kakars are descendants of Dani (or Daani) who was the son of Gharghasht. Gharghasht wa ...

tribe. Khan was raised in the Kamathipura neighbourhood of

after his family moved there from

. He enrolled in a local municipal school and later in the

after which he graduated in engineering, specialising in

. Between 1970 and 1975, he taught at M. H. Saboo Siddik College of Engineering in

Byculla Byculla (ISO: Bhāykhaḷā; pronunciation: ʱaːjkʰəɭaː is an area of South Mumbai. Location Byculla is neighboured by Nagpada and Mumbai Central and Mahalaxmi on the west; Agripada, Jacob Circle on the north-west: Chinchpokli to t ...

as a professor of

. Subjects he taught included

applied mathematics Applied mathematics is the application of mathematics, mathematical methods by different fields such as physics, engineering, medicine, biology, finance, business, computer science, and Industrial sector, industry. Thus, applied mathematics is a ...

and

mechanics Mechanics () is the area of physics concerned with the relationships between force, matter, and motion among Physical object, physical objects. Forces applied to objects may result in Displacement (vector), displacements, which are changes of ...

. While performing in a play named ''Taash Ke Patey'', he was noted by comedian Agha who then suggested actor

Dilip Kumar Dilip Kumar (born Muhammad Yusuf Khan; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021) was an Indian actor and film producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated Hindi cinema from the 1950s throughout t ...

to see the play.

was impressed and signed him up for his next films, '' Sagina'' and '' Bairaag''. During an interview with

Rediff Rediff.com, stylized as rediff.com, is an Indian news, information, entertainment, and shopping website. Founded by Ajit Balakrishnan in 1996, it was the first Indian website to become a mainstream news media organization. It is headquartered i ...

, Khan recalled this as the incident that started his film career. He used to write plays for theatres and was subsequently offered to write the script of '' Jawani Diwani'', which started his career as a scriptwriter and for which Khan received 1500 rupees.

Career

Actor

Khan acted in over 300 films in

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

and

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

and wrote dialogue for over 250 Indian films, from the 1970s up to the turn of the 21st century. At the insistence of

Manmohan Desai Manmohan Desai (26 February 1937 – 1 March 1994) was an Indian film producer and director. He was one of the most successful filmmakers of the 70s and 80s. Desai was an influential and sought-after film director of Bollywood and a pioneer of ...

paid him the high amount of one lakh twenty-one thousand () for writing dialogue for the film ''

Roti Roti is a round flatbread originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is commonly consumed in many South Asian, Southeast Asian, Caribbean, East African, and Southeast African countries. It is made from stoneground whole-wheat flour, kno ...

'' (1974), which was produced by Khanna himself. He was most popularly recognised for working with actors

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.* * * * * With a cinemati ...

Jeetendra Jeetendra (born Ravi Kapoor ; 7 April 1942) is an Indian actor who is known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Hindi cinema. He is noted for his acting, style and dance. He has worked in more than Je ...

, Feroz Khan,

Mithun Chakraborty Mithun Chakraborty (born Gouranga Chakraborty; 16 June 1950) is an Indian actor, film producer, screenwriter, entrepreneur and politician who predominantly works in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema. In a career spa ...

Anil Kapoor Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi cinema, Hindi films, in addition to Indian television and international films. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a ...

Govinda Govinda (, ), also rendered Govind, Gobinda, and Gobind, is an epithet of Vishnu and his avatars, such as Krishna. The name appears as the 187th and the 539th name of Vishnu in the ''Vishnu Sahasranama''. The name is also popularly addressed to ...

and in films directed by T. Rama Rao, K. Raghavendra Rao, K. Bapaiah, Narayana Rao Dasari,

David Dhawan David Dhawan (born Rajinder Dhawan; 16 August 1951) is an Indian director of Bollywood, Hindi films. A member of the List of Hindi film clans#Dhawan family, Dhawan family, he has directed over #Filmography, 42 films. The 1993 action thriller an ...

. He has worked side by side with other comedians like Asrani, Shakti Kapoor and Johnny Lever. He has co-starred with

Amrish Puri Amrish Puri (22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005) was an Indian actor, who was one of the most notable and important figures in Cinema of India, Indian cinema and Theatre of India, theatre. He acted in more than 450 films, established himsel ...

Prem Chopra Prem Chopra (born 23 September 1935) is an Indian actor in Hindi films. He has acted in 380 films over a span of over 60 years. Life and education Chopra, the third of six children of Ranveerlal and Rooprani Chopra, a Punjabi Hindu family, was ...

, Amjad Khan and Anupam Kher in many films. He has played a large variety of parts in different genres of films like comedy, action, romance, family, social and political. Khan made his debut with '' Daag'', starring

in the main lead role, wherein Khan played the supporting role of an advocate. He subsequently starred as supporting artist with roles in '' Dil Diwana'', '' Muqaddar Ka Sikandar'' and '' Mr. Natwarlal''. He also started getting lengthy roles as a supporting actor after 1984, with films like '' Masterji'', '' Dharm Adhikari'', '' Nasihat'', '' Dosti Dushmani'', '' Ghar Sansar'', '' Loha'', '' Insaniyat Ke Dushman'', '' Insaf Ki Pukar'', ''

Khudgarz () is a 1987 Indian Hindi-language action drama film, produced and directed by Rakesh Roshan under the Film Kraft banner. It features an ensemble cast of Jeetendra, Shatrughan Sinha, Govinda (actor), Govinda, Bhanupriya, Amrita Singh and Neel ...

'', '' Sherni'', '' Khoon Bhari Maang'', '' Sone Pe Suhaaga'' and '' Vardi''. From 1988, there were films written with him in main lead, like Karz Chukana Hai, '' Jaisi Karni Waisi Bharnii'', '' Biwi Ho To Aisi'', '' Ghar Ho To Aisa'', '' Hum Hain Kamaal Ke'' and ''

Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri ''Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri'' (; ) is a 1990 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Aziz Sejawal and produced by Iqbal Baig. It stars Kader Khan, Shakti Kapoor in pivotal roles. Other cast includes Jackie Shroff, Farah, Adi ...

''. His first attempt at comedy was with '' Himmatwala'' and '' Aaj Ka Daur''. He started doing main comedy roles from 1989 onwards, with films like ''

Kishen Kanhaiya ''Kishen Kanhaiya'' is an Indian Hindi action comedy film directed by Rakesh Roshan, released in 1990. The film stars Anil Kapoor (in dual roles), Shilpa Shirodkar and Madhuri Dixit. Plot Leela and Bholaram are a childless couple. Leela i ...

'', '' Hum'', '' Ghar Parivar'', '' Bol Radha Bol'' and continued through the nineties with comedy roles in '' Aankhen'', '' Taqdeerwala'', ''

Main Khiladi Tu Anari ''Main Khiladi Tu Anari'' () is a 1994 Indian action comedy film directed by Sameer Malkan. The screenplay is written by Sachin Bhowmick. Starring Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Shilpa Shetty and Raageshwari in the lead roles and Shakti Kapoo ...

'', ''

Dulhe Raja ''Dulhe Raja'' (transl. Groom king) is a 1998 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film starring Govinda (actor), Govinda, Raveena Tandon, Kader Khan, Johnny Lever, Prem Chopra and Asrani. Plot K. K. Singhania a business tycoon buys an expen ...

'', '' Coolie No. 1'', '' Saajan Chale Sasural'', ''

Sooryavansham ''Sooryavansham'' (, ) is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by E. V. V. Satyanarayana. It stars Amitabh Bachchan in dual roles, with Soundarya (in her only Hindi film), Jayasudha, Rachna Banerjee, Anupam Kher and Kader Khan ...

'', '' Judaai'', '' Aunty No. 1'', '' Bade Miyan Chote Miyan'', '' Raja Babu'', '' Khuddar'', '' Chhote Sarkar'', '' Gharwali Baharwali'', '' Hero Hindustani'', '' Sirf Tum'' and '' Anari No. 1''. Even in early 2000s, he attempted versatile roles with films like '' Akhiyon Se Goli Maare'', '' Chalo Ishq Ladaaye'', '' Suno Sasurjee'', '' Yeh Hai Jalwa'' and ''

Mujhse Shaadi Karogi ''Mujhse Shaadi Karogi'' () is a 2004 Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by David Dhawan and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. The film stars Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra with Amrish Puri, Kader Khan, Satish Shah and ...

''. His work as a comedian was notable in ''Himmatwala'', ''Aankhen'' and ''Coolie No. 1''. He starred in his comedy television series titled ''Hasna Mat'' (literally: ''Don't laugh''), which aired on

Star Plus StarPlus is an Indian Hindi-language general entertainment pay television channel owned by JioStar, a joint venture between Viacom18 and Disney India. Its programming consists of family dramas, romantic comedies, youth-oriented reali ...

in 2001. He made a comeback on

Indian television The television industry in India is very diverse and produces thousands of programmes in many Indian languages. Nearly 87% of Indian households own a television. As of 2016, the country had over 900 channels of which 184 were Pay television, ...

with a comedy series ''Hi! Padosi... Kaun Hai Doshi?'' on

Sahara One Sahara One is an Indian Hindi general entertainment channel based in New Delhi. It was operated by Sahara India Pariwar. History Sahara One was launched as Sahara TV on 28 March 2000, which later was renamed as Sahara Manoranjan in April 200 ...

. He later appeared in '' Lucky: No Time for Love'' (2006) and '' Family: Ties of Blood'' (2006).

Screenwriter

This was

who gave him the break as dialogue writer in his film ''Roti'' and thereafter he wrote dialogues for films with

in the lead like '' Maha Chor'', '' Chhailla Babu'', '' Dharam Kanta'', '' Fiffty Fiffty'', '' Naya Kadam'', '' Masterji'', and ''Nasihat'', all of which were hit films at the box office. Other successful films for which he has written or assisted in dialogues include films starring Jeetendra like ''Himmatwala'', '' Jaani Dost'', '' Sarfarosh'', '' Justice Chaudhury'', '' Farz Aur Kanoon'', '' Jeeo Aur Jeene Do'', '' Tohfa'', '' Qaidi'' and '' Haisiyat''. As a screenwriter, Kader Khan has worked with

and

Prakash Mehra Prakash Mehra (13 July 1939 – 17 May 2009) was a legendary Indian film director and producer known for his work in Hindi films. He was one of the pioneers of masala films, along with Nasir Hussain, and Manmohan Desai. His collaborations wi ...

for their films starring Amitabh Bachchan. Besides Amitabh, he was the only one to work in the rival camps of Mehra and Desai. His films with Desai include '' Dharam Veer'', '' Gangaa Jamunaa Saraswati'', ''

Coolie Coolie (also spelled koelie, kouli, khuli, khulie, kuli, cooli, cooly, or quli) is a pejorative term used for low-wage labourers, typically those of Indian people, Indian or Chinese descent. The word ''coolie'' was first used in the 16th cent ...

'', '' Desh Premee'', '' Suhaag'', '' Parvarish'' and '' Amar Akbar Anthony'' and films with Prakash Mehra include '' Jwalamukhi'', '' Sharaabi'', '' Lawaaris'' and '' Muqaddar Ka Sikandar''. Some of Amitabh Bachchan's films with popular dialogues and scripts were written by Khan. Some notable examples of these movies are '' Mr. Natwarlal'', '' Khoon Pasina'', '' Do Aur Do Paanch'', '' Satte Pe Satta'', '' Inquilab'', '' Giraftaar'', '' Hum'' and '' Agneepath''. For the film '' Agneepath'' for Bachchan, had received the

National Film Awards The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...

. Khan was in demand by South Indian film production houses such as Padmalaya. Major filmmakers of southern cinema such as Narayana Rao Dasari, K. Bapayya, K. Raghavendra Rao, T. Rama Rao, Dasari Narayan Rao, D. Rama Naidu consulted Khan for doing the script and dialogue of the Hindi remakes of their southern language films. Some of these films included '' Himmatwala'' (1983), '' Justice Chaudhury'' (1983), '' Haisiyat'' (1984) and '' Singhasan'' (1986). As reported in ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

'', "He didn't just translate the original films into Hindi but transposed them into a new North setting, culture, context and language." He was the preferred dialogue writer for the Hindi films directed by K. Raghavendra Rao, Narayana Dasari Rao, K. Bapaiah and for films produced by D. Rama Naidu and K. C. Bokadia. He also wrote dialogues in other successful films in the late '80s to the late '90s like '' Meri Aawaz Suno'', '' Angaar'', ''Jail Yatra'', '' Satte Pe Satta'', '' Katilon Ke Kaatil'', '' Waqt Ki Awaz'', '' Coolie No. 1'', ''

'', '' Kanoon Apna Apna'', ''

Karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

'', '' Sultanat'', ''

'', '' Humshakal'', '' Saajan Chale Sasural'', '' Hero Hindustani'', '' Aunty No. 1'', and '' Rajaji''. He also wrote dialogues for films of Rakesh Roshan like '' Khoon Bhari Maang'', ''

Kala Bazaar ''Kala Bazaar'' () is a 1989 Hindi-language film directed by Rakesh Roshan. It stars Kader Khan, Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff. This film deals with the socio-political issues of corruption, primarily in the form of bribery in government offi ...

'' and ''

''.

Personal life

Khan lived in

, until moving to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

for health reasons. He had three sons:

Sarfaraz Khan Sarfarāz Khān ( 1700 – 29 April 1740), born ''Mīrza Asadullāh'', was a Nawab of Bengal. Sarfaraz Khan's maternal grandfather, Nawab Murshid Quli Khan of Bengal (Bengal, Bihar and Orissa) nominated him as the direct heir to him as there ...

, Shahnawaz Khan, and Quddus who lived in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, who died in 2021. It was reported that Khan took the citizenship of

. In 2014, Khan visited

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

to perform

Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...

. Sarfaraz has also acted in several films.

Death

Khan had supranuclear palsy, a degenerative disease. He was hospitalised on 28 December 2018 complaining of "breathlessness" in

, where he stayed with his youngest son and daughter-in-law while seeking treatment. On 31 December 2018 ( EST), Khan's eldest son, Sarfaraz, confirmed that Khan had died. His funeral was held at ISNA mosque in

Mississauga Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

, and he is buried in

Brampton Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...

's Meadowvale Cemetery.

Awards and nominations

* 2013: Sahitya Shiromani Award for his work and contributions to the Hindi Film industry and Cinema. * Khan was recognised twice by the AFMI (American Federation of Muslims from India) for his achievements and service to the Muslim community in India. *On 26 January 2019 Government of India announced to posthumously award Kader Khan

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

Filmography

References

External links

*
An interview with Kader Khan
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Kader 1937 births 2018 deaths Pashtun male actors Indian people of Afghan descent Indian people of Pashtun descent Afghan emigrants to India Indian emigrants to Canada Indian Muslims People from Kabul Male actors from Mumbai Indian male film actors Filmfare Awards winners Indian male comedians Osmania University alumni Indian male screenwriters Male actors in Hindi cinema Ismail Yusuf College alumni Film producers from Mumbai Screenwriters from Mumbai 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian male writers Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Screen Awards winners Neurological disease deaths in Ontario Deaths from progressive supranuclear palsy Pashtun male writers