Kader Khan: Massy actor-writer who engineered commercial cinema's biggest hits
New Delhi, Jan 1: More than 300 films on, Kader Khan was always more than the sum of his roles, the consummate multi-hyphenated Bollywood artiste for those who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s on a staple diet of commercial films that either featured him or were penned by him.
Engineer-scriptwriter-actor-dialogue writer, Khan, who died in Toronto at the age of 81 before he could see the dawn of a New Year, was all these and more.
Khan was that rare film personality who was equally important on screen and off screen with about 300 roles as an actor and writing credits in over 250 films.
Before he slipped into the skin of his characters on screen playing the buffoon, controlling father and villain in a range of films good and bad -- Khan took his first tentative steps in Bollywood as a back-end writer giving shape to storylines.
The Kabul-born Pathan started his career as a professor of civil engineering before being pulled into the world of showbiz as a writer.
Khan was famously spotted by screen legend Dilip Kumar while he was performing in a play at his college's Annual Day function.
It was the era of grand commercial films and the romantic hero of the 1960s and the early 1970s was already ceding ground to the 'angry young man', embodied by Amitabh Bachchan.
In 1972, he made his debut as a writer with the Jaya Bhaduri-Randhir Kapoor teen romance "Jawani Diwani", still remembered for its music and its portrayal of young love.
Khan went on to deliver some of Bollywood's best written screenplays and whistle-worthy dialogues in blockbuster films such as "Amar Akbar Anthony" and "Shola Aur Shabnam".
He stepped in to help shape Bachchan's career after Salim-Javed, who wrote "Zanjeer" and "Sholay", went their separate ways in 1982.
It was Khan who gave Bachchan some of his career's biggest hits with memorable dialogues and writing in a series of films, "Sharaabi", "Lawaaris", "Muqaddar Ka Sikandar", "Naseeb" and "Agneepath", for which the megastar won his first Best Actor National Film Award in 1991.
Khan and Bachchan were the thread that tied rivals Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra.
The civil engineer-turned-hit writer also helped cement Govinda's career with his sharp dialogue and screenplays in "Coolie No 1", "Raja Babu" and "Saajan Chale Sasural". The troika of filmmaker David Dhawan, actor Govinda and actor-writer Khan produced a number of hit comedies, including "Hero No 1" and "Dulhe Raja".
All the while, Khan was also acting in a variety of films.
In 1973, a year after he wrote "Jawani Diwani", Khan made his acting debut with Rajesh Khanna-Sharmila Tagore's "Daag" in the supporting role of a prosecuting attorney.
He established his presence as an actor with roles in "Dil Diwana", "Muqaddar Ka Sikandar" and "Mr Natwarlal" before evolving as a performer with impeccable comic timing.
There was scarcely any potboiler from the 1990s that did not feature the actor Khan -- "Kishen Kanhaiya", "Bol Radha Bol", "Aankhen", "Coolie No 1", "Hero No 1", "Dulhe Raja", the films were many.
As an actor, he will be remembered for striking a balance between comedies and dramas, sometimes exploring the grey side.
Some of his stand-out performances are as the old Sufi who guides a lost child in "Muqaddar Ka Sikandar", the Yamraj who gets tricked by a human in "Taqdeerwala", the greedy employee who kills his boss in "Khoon Bhari Maang", the Type-A controlling father in "Hero No 1" and the epic Duggal sahab who, on some days, is blind, deaf or speechless in "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi".
Khan was a two-time recipient of the Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue for "Meri Awaaz Suno" (1982) and "Angaar" (1993). He also won the Best Comedian Filmfare for "Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri" (1991).
As the years rolled by, the roles dwindled.
His last appearance on screen was in 2017 in the forgotten film "Masti Nahi Sasti". Before that, he was seen in "Tevar" (2015).
He never officially retired but, in his own words, was somewhat lost in oblivion.
"Some people refused to keep me with them. I was a little unwell. And people refused to take me back into their films," Khan said at the trailer launch of his comedy "Hogaya Dimaagh Ka Dahi" in 2015.
He had started keeping unwell by then.
He said he wanted to make a comeback as a writer and could tell that there was a "difference in the level of writing".
"As a writer, I feel that I should come back. I'll try my best to bring the earlier 'zubaan' (language) back and people are definitely going to enjoy talking in that 'zubaan'," he told reporters.
The starry lights of Mumbai were no longer appealing and some years ago, the actor moved to Toronto to be with his son.
And on the final day of 2018, he slipped into a coma in far away Toronto, never to wake up.
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Karnataka cabinet approves formation of separate Dharwad Municipal Corporation
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Cabinet has approved a formation of separate Dharwad city corporation. Alongside, a 15% hike in fares across the four state transport corporations was also approved. The revised fares will come into effect on January 5.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil, addressing the media at the Committee Hall of Vidhana Soudha, provided details about the decision. He explained that the last fare revision for BMTC was a decade ago when diesel cost Rs 60.98 per litre. Since then, operational costs have risen significantly.
Diesel expenditure for the four corporations has increased from Rs 9.16 crore to Rs 13.21 crore, and personnel costs have grown from Rs 12.85 crore to Rs 18.36 crore. The daily operational burden now stands at Rs 9.56 crore. The fare hike is expected to generate an additional Rs 74.85 crore in monthly revenue without burdening the state exchequer, as Rs 5,015 crore has already been allocated for the Shakti Yojana this fiscal year.
Minister Patil announced that the Cabinet has decided to bifurcate the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation into two independent municipal bodies.
The Cabinet approved the construction of a fishing port in Hejamady village, Udupi, with a revised estimate of Rs 209.13 crore. Additionally, Rs 84.57 crore has been sanctioned for the modernization and dredging of fishing ports.
In a move to strengthen cow shelters, Rs 10.50 crore has been allocated for projects in 14 districts. The Cabinet also approved constructing a building for Visvesvaraya Technical University in Chikkaballapur district at Rs 149.75 crore.
The Cabinet sanctioned a state-of-the-art bus stand in Bannimantap, Mysuru, at a cost of Rs 120 crore. Spread over 14 acres, the facility will include a divisional office, bus units, and commercial shops.
Approval was also granted to utilize Rs 137.85 crore, provided by the Union Finance Ministry under the Special Capital Assistance Scheme, for capital expenditure.
The Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board will use Rs 56.92 crore from its SCP/TSP scheme to supply bed sheets, mosquito nets, and clothing to government residential schools and hostels.
The Cabinet approved Rs 100 crore to construct new buildings for 200 veterinary institutions currently housed in rented or dilapidated structures, using NABARD assistance.
In Davangere, a site was allotted to the Karnataka Working Journalists' Association for constructing a civic facility. A plot in Avaragere village was also leased for 30 years at a concessional rate to Nayaka Vidyarthi Nilaya.
