“Zinda dilon ki hai yahan zindagi … murda dil khaak jiya karte hai.” This dialogue might not have been from one of Feroz Khan’s iconic films, lesser still it was a release that tanked at the box office without so much as a whimper. But that is besides the point, the significant thing is that it endorsed a creed that was at the very heart of this flamboyant actor’s existence.
Born Zulfiqar Ali Shah Khan, to an Afghan immigrant in Bengaluru, Feroz Khan’s swagger was more him than an actor at work. Some actors are destined to be the center of attention not because of their dexterity, but because of an innate bearing that does not change with the stipulations of a role.
Not for them the strain and stress of metamorphosing for a character, they would rather that the character becomes them. It is this singular belief in their extraordinary individuality that made them stars. But Feroz went one ahead, he did not wait to be cast but went and made films that celebrated everything glamorous and flashy, indeed almost blatantly so.
From the whisky swigging grand prix racer in his directorial debut Apradh to the cop in a stud farm in Jaanbaaz, Feroz’s love for the good things in life showed in his movies. This kingsize existence also extended to his private life where he was known to sponsor pool tournaments and raise racing horses.
His sprawling farmhouse on the outskirts of Bengaluru housed a stud farm, a swimming pool and a billiards room among other things, all designed luxuriously to stage some swinging parties and cement his reputation as a gregarious host. His high boots and Stetsons only served to amplify that quintessential star appeal and he cut quite the dashing figure, thus ensuring his popularity with the ladies.
He was the first to admit that he was greatly inspired by Hollywood stars like Clark Gable and Douglas Fairbanks but he brought his own desi touch to it. That is of course Feroz, the star, but the man did bring something more to the world of Bollywood; a regal deportment, an anglicized sophistication borne out of his hedonism in the superficially liberal world of Hindi cinema.
Feroz Khan in more ways than one represented the creed of a bygone era; where excess was not all bad, in fact it anything only contributed to the larger than life persona of the individual.
This outlook towards life was best seen when his son Fardeen was charged in a sordid narcotics case; Feroz handled it with his characteristic nonchalance by admitting that his son had erred, while at the same time dismissing all allegations of habitual use, clarifying that the revelry was understandable as his cub was celebrating the success of his release.
While Feroz’s passion for cinema was undeniable, his zeal for life itself was insatiable. This was shorn of any strait-jacketing professionalism and was all-embracing. It was almost as if he carried the responsibility of ensuring that the screen image of the star find a reflection in the personal life.
His films (bar a couple) might not all have been money spinners or his performances the object of universal reverence but there was no doubt about his charisma. He also spoke his mind… how many people would go to Pakistan and wax eloquent about the virtues of Indian democracy at the risk of personal safety !!!
This one is an absolutely topper when it comes to laying out his personality in a nutshell; One day Mr. Khan hops into an autorickshaw to report for a shoot as his car had broken down. At the end of an extremely brief trip he takes out a 500 rupee note to pay for the fare and the driver makes an attempt to return the difference. The cabbie does not know where to run for cover when an absolutely livid Feroz laid into him “tumhari himmat kaise hui mujhe paise lautane ki “
Feroz Khan loved to quote Oscar Wilde and it is probably not too difficult to guess which quote of the extremely quotable playwright was his favorite
To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.
Be yourself; everyone else is already taken I can resist everything except temptation.
Article By : Shantanu Sharma
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