BOMBAY TIMES (January 2, 2018)

“Zinda hain woh log, jo maut se takrate hai... murdon se battar hain woh log, joh maut se ghabrate hain”

This iconic line from the 1978 hit Muqaddar Ka Sikandar was one of the many popular dialogues written by the late Kader Khan, who proved his wizardry with words in films through the 70s, 80s and 90s. His impeccable comic timing as an actor also made him one of the most sought-after comedians of that era. The veteran actor-writer passed away at the age of 81 in Canada, during the wee hours of Tuesday, after a prolonged illness. According to reports, Khan had been suffering from supranuclear palsy, a degenerative disease.

Born in Afghanistan to a Pashtun family, Khan made his acting debut with Rajesh Khanna’s Daag (1973) and featured in over 300 films. He wrote dialogues for more than 250 movies. As a screenwriter, he frequently collaborated with directors like Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra, and has penned (as a screenwriter) hits including Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Suhaag (1979), Lawaaris (1981), Coolie (1983) and Sharaabi (1984), among others. He was also known for writing dialogues for memorable films including Do Aur Do Paanch (1980), Satte Pe Satta (1982) and Agneepath (1990). In the 90s, he forged a blockbuster partnership with filmmaker David Dhawan and actor Govinda, on films like Aankhen (1993), Raja Babu (1994), Coolie No. 1 (1995), Saajan Chale Sasural (1996), Hero No. 1 (1997) and Dulhe Raja (1998).


‘Though his work was celebrated by film lovers and the industry alike, he was never awarded. He never received a National Award or a Dadasaheb Phalke honour’: Shakti Kapoor

He was the messiah for me in this industry, who taught me so much throughout my life. He was a professor and preaching had become second nature to him. He often asked me, ‘Shakti, why do people show disregard towards elders? Why do people celebrate when someone fails? Why are people forgotten so easily?’ He always had pertinent questions to ask. It’s a fact that his work, although celebrated by film lovers and the industry alike, he was never awarded.

He never received a National Award or a Dadasaheb Phalke honour. Do you know why? He was not a social guy, who could hang out with everyone who mattered. He only focussed on delivering the work he was entrusted with. He never worked for an award and never regretted not winning one. I’m talking about the person who taught ‘Bombaiyya’ bhasha to Amitabh Bachchan. He taught a convent school pass-out like me to talk with the right leheza. If I have command over Hindi and I speak it with right diction, it’s his gift to me. Meri zubaan ko sanwara tha unhone. The last time we met was at the staging of a play. He told me, “Shakti, I want to come back and give something to this society. People have lost their command over language. I want to bring that back.” On other occasions when I would call him, he would tell me, “Shakti, main akela ho gaya hoon.” This, when he had a family around him and his kids were well-off. Perhaps, it was his sense of being left out by an industry that he gave his all to.


‘I used to call him bhai. Not only did I learn the ropes of commercial cinema and comedy from him, I also learnt many life lessons’: David Dhawan

I got the news from his son Sarfaraz at 5 am and am truly heartbroken. I know he was ailing for a long time and had relocated to Canada to deal with his health, but his death has left me in a state of shock. We started with Bol Radha Bol (1992) and worked together right till Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004). We worked together in so many films and he had such a strong impact on my life. I used to call him bhai and he was truly my elder brother.

In many ways, he was my hero. He had a unique personality on-screen but in real life, he didn’t socialise too much and didn’t open up to a lot of people. In that respect, I consider myself very lucky that he was so close to me. Not only did I learn the ropes of commercial cinema and comedy from him, I also learnt many life lessons. I will miss him a lot and am sure the film industry will, too. He was one of the most talented artistes that I have ever worked with and his place in my life and heart is truly irreplaceable.”


FILMMAKERS USED TO WAIT FOR HIM TO WRITE THE DIALOGUES OF THEIR FILMS: JOHNY LEVER

The first time I worked with him was in the film Kasam in 1988. After that, we worked in many films together. Kader bhai itney busy hua karte thay us zamaaney mein. He would dedicate 15 days for shooting and 15 days for writing. Filmmakers used to wait for him to write the dialogues of their films. Humaari acchi dosti hui thhi, mujhsey bohot pyaar kartey thhey kyunki mera stand-up act hota tha, aur woh usko bahut pasand karte thhey. Bahut bade fankaar thay, bahut bade artiste thay. Unka apna hi style tha. He was very versatile. He was an original. His chemistry with Shakti Kapoor and Asrani bhai was magical.


HE WAS A DEEP-THINKING MAN, BUT ALSO SOMEONE WHO HAD A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOUR: PREM CHOPRA

I’ve known Kader saab for many, many years. Umar (2006) was our last professional collaboration. He was an efficient actor and a very gifted writer. He was the king of remakes. In the 1980s, I remember everyone, who wanted to remake a South film, would take it to him because he was a master of interpreting them for the Hindi-speaking audience. He was a deep-thinking man, but also someone who had a great sense of humour, which was evident in his performances and his writing. There were times when he was just an actor in a film, but he would voluntarily help a filmmaker when he would be stuck with a scene. He’s someone who brought a lot of life into some really dry-sounding subjects.


HE WAS THE MASTER OF IMPROVISATION AND HIS LINES, NO MATTER WHAT THE FILM OR THE SCENE WAS, WERE BRILLIANT: ANUPAM KHER

He was a very popular actor around the time I entered the industry. He was a great writer and someone who could easily slip into any role on screen. It was a privilege to share screen space with him. People often confuse an actor with the roles he plays. He was a deep thinker and a well-meaning person. People remember him for the conversations he could strike; he was a scholar and his knowledge on many subjects spoke of the fact that he was well-read. He spoke with authority on an array of subjects. Apart from being an actor, it was also a privilege to mouth some of the dialogues he wrote. I got to know him well when we did an outdoor of Hum (1991). I found Kader saab to be a fascinating person. He was at ease playing any character. He put in a lot of hard work, but it wasn’t visible to anyone. He was a master of improvisation and his lines, no matter what the film or the scene was, were brilliant. It’s rare that someone’s work in two distinct spaces resonates with the common man and the intelligentsia alike.


I CONSIDER HIM TO BE THE MOST PROLIFIC FILM WRITER, EVER: ANEES BAZMEE

It was an honour that I got to write the dialogues and screenplay in so many films where Kader Khan was an actor. He was one of the best dialogue writers that the film industry ever saw and to have him compliment my work in films like Bol Radha Bol (1992), Raja Babu (1994) right up to Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004) was phenomenal. The first film that I wrote and directed Hulchul (1995) featured him in a prominent role, too. I consider him to be the most prolific film writer, ever. Such was his dedication to writing that he would travel to Pune, just to write a film. He would wake up early in the morning, get ready by 9 am with perfectly groomed hair, wearing crisply ironed clothes and then sit down to write. He would work till 1 pm, then have lunch and resume writing at 3 pm to wind up by 8 pm. He’d do this for 10-15 days straight and finish off the entire dialogues of a film in record speed. He was truly gifted and one of the finest professionals in the business.

— Inputs by Rachana Dubey, Lasyapriya Sundaram, Rachit Gupta and Ismat Tahseen