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Amjad Khan, the Gabbar of Sholay, died 23 years ago on this day: Some facts you should not miss about the Sholay actor

On Amjad Khan a.k.a Gabbar’s 23rd death anniversary, read on to know more about him.

Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :

Amjad Khan in Sholay
Amjad Khan in Sholay

Amjad Khan portrayed the character of Gabbar in the movie Sholay and immortalised him as the scariest villain in the Indian cinema. He played the role so perfectly that the laughter of the scariest robber, Gabbar, can still give you chills on the back of your neck. He was only 11 years-old when he was offered his first role for the movie Nazneen.

He died on July 27, 1992. On his 23rd death anniversary, read on to know some facts about him:

  • Amjad Khan was born as Amjad Zakaria Khan. He was born to the actor Jayant in a small village of Peshawar, British India
  • Khan was educated at St. Andrew’s High School in Bandra. Later, he attended R. D. National College
  • In college, he was the general secretary which is considered to be the highest student body representative
  • Before entering films, Khan used to be a theatre actor
  • Khan was only 11 years old when he got his first role in the film Nazneen. He got his next role at the age of 17
  • Amjad Khan was not the first choice for the character of Gabbar. It is believed that Javed Akhtar initially thought that his voice was too weak for the role
  • He was a post-graduate in Philosophy
  • Amjad Khan had command over English, Persian and Urdu
  • To prepare for the role of Gabbar, he read Abhishapta Chambal which is a book on Chambal dacoits. The book is written by Jaya Bachchan’s father, Taroon Kumar Bhaduri
  • It is said that Amjad Khan took 40 retakes to perfect his dialogue “Kitne Aadmi The?”
  • Khan continued to play negative roles in many Hindi films from 1970s to early 1990s, after the success of Sholay
  • He also ventured into directing in 1983 . He directed and also starred in the movie Chor Police
  • Amjad was the president of the Actors Guild Association
  • In 1986, Khan met with an accident. The drugs caused him a serious weight problem for the rest of his life. As a result, he died in 1992 from a heart failure.

source: http://www.indiatoday.intoday.in / IndiaToday.in / Home> GK & Current Affairs> Listicles> Microfacts> Story / New Delhi – July 27th, 2015