Feroz Khan

Biography

The eldest of the Khan brothers, the other two being Sanjay and Akbar, Feroz Khan was known for his style and flamboyance. It was as much a mark of his screen persona as well as his films. Born on September 25, 1939, he made his acting debut with the film 'Didi' as the second lead in 1960. For the most part of his early career, he had to be content with playing second lead, but he managed to leave his mark even then in films like Arzoo (1965), Ek Sapera Ek Lootera (1965), Safar (1970), Aurat (1967) and Raat Aur Din (1967). His first hit was the film Oonche Log (1965). With the film Aadmi Aur Insaan, he bagged the Filmfare award in 1969 Best Supporting Actor and entered the big league. But he tasted real success only after he decided to turn producer-director. His first film, which he produced, directed and acted, was Dharmatma (1975), which was a blockbuster hit. He continued to taste success during the seventies and eighties with films like Qurbani (1980), the biggest hit of his career; Jaanbaaz (1986), Dayavaan (1988) and Yalgaar (1992). After this he took a hiatus from films, returning only to launch his son Fardeen in Prem Aggan (1998), a film which flopped. His next, also with son Fardeen, Janasheen (2003), didn't do too well either. He starred with Fardeen also in a film called Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena (2005). His last appearance in a film was for the 2007 hit Welcome. As for his personal life, Feroz Khan was married to Sundari, a designer, who he divorced in 1985 after 20 years of marriage. His son Fardeen is married to Natasha, the daughter of his colleague and yesteryear actress Mumtaz, while his daughter Laila is married to former tennis player Rohit Rajpal. Besides winning a couple of Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Awards, Feroz Khan won the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000; the Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2008 and 'Pride of The Industry' at the Max Stardust Awards 2009.

The actor was diagnosed of cancer in 2008 and had been battling since then when he finally succumbed to it on 27 April 2009. He was survived by his son Fardeen and daughter Laila. In fact, Feroz Khan, who had been in hospital in Mumbai, had asked to be taken to his Bangalore farmhouse to be with his pet horses and dogs. It took a little persuasion for the doctors to grant him permission to travel to Bangalore, the city where he was born and brought up.

They don't quite make them like Feroz Khan, a man who was known for his colourful and lavish lifestyle. This trait of his spilled onto his films and he was willing to go to any extend to create fantastic effects for his movies. Feroz Khan was quite a showman in his own right.

Source: movietalkies