Exclusive: Shehzad Khan opens up about strained relationship with father Ajit
The 'Andaz Apna Apna' actor said, 'Let me tell you, my grandfather was in the Nizam's army, so my father was raised in a very strict, military-style environment, and so was I. Naturally, he was a strict father too. I'm sharing something very close to my heart. The relationship I had with my father was similar to the one Ranbir Kapoor and Anil Kapoor had in the film Animal-very strained, very tough. He never praised me. Not once. Instead, he would always point out my flaws. 'Why are you like this? Why are you like that?' I just kept enduring it, telling myself that one day, God would stand by me." One of the harshest moments he recalled, was being told outright by his father that he wouldn't support his dream of being an actor. "He once told me, 'I will never make a film for you, not even a phone call. In fact, if possible, don't even say you're my son. 'Work hard and make your own path.' And I said to myself, 'He's forgotten he's talking to a Pathan - we are also Pathans' children. I'll face everything head-on.'And he meant it. Even when he met filmmaker Nasir Hussain, who was related to Ajit, he didn't use the connection. "I remember meeting Nasir Hussain sahab, who was a relative of my father from Shahjahanpur. Even then, I didn't write on a chit that I was Ajit's son. I sat there with my portfolio for about 45 minutes, waiting for my turn. When I told him I wanted to work with him, he said, 'We've already finalised the hero.' His office was huge, just opposite Mehboob Studio. He pointed and said, 'See that boy - today the whole city knows him as Aamir Khan.' I replied, 'If I can't be the hero, make me the hero's friend or the villain - give me something.' He said, 'Okay, some roles as the hero's friend are coming up, will call you.'"Shehzad further added, "I was told to write my address, so I wrote on a piece of paper, and when Naseer Saab saw he said, 'Looks like Hamid Miya's address!' Then he asked, 'What are you doing there?' I was about to say I was staying as a paying guest, but instead, I told him I was Ajit's son. He was shocked and angry. He said, 'Why didn't you tell me earlier?' I said, 'Even then, you would've given me the role of the hero's friend.'"
On a concluding note, Shehzad mentioned, 'My father was a very good actor and also a very good human being, but he was a very strict father."
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