This Bollywood villain warned son not to tell people they were related, refused to help him become an actor: ‘He was insecure that…'

Indian Express

28-05-2025

Born Hamid Ali Khan, actor Ajit is one of the most well-known villains from the golden period of Bollywood. Appearing in films like Kalicharan (1976), Zanjeer (1973), and Yaadon Ki Baraat (1973), he was famously the 'Lion' who was the bad guy in many films of the era. Soon it was his son Shehzad Khan's turn to walk in the footsteps of his father, who even mimicked his father's unique cadence in a couple of roles. But according to Shehzad, his father was not very supportive of his decision to become an actor and refused to help him in any way.
One can only imagine the sway an actor like Ajit must have in the industry, yet he was determined that his son would have to make it on his own. While talking to Lehren Retro, Shehzad talked about his father's decision and said, 'I never got any support from my father regarding my acting career. When I told him that I want to be an actor, he told me that he is never going to make a film in order to launch me. He also told me that he was never going to refer me to any producer or director and would prefer if I kept my relationship with him under wraps.'
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He added, 'I think my father was a little insecure about me becoming an actor. He must have been afraid that if I don't perform to the standards set by him, it might ruin his name in the industry.' Shehzad said that he respected his father's wishes and would keep his relation with him a secret, unless someone guessed it from his name and address. He ultimately broke through the barrier and worked in films like Andaz Apna Apna (1994), Qayamat se Qayamat tak (1988) and Bharat (2019).
The actor also talked about the boom of the southern films and shared his two cents about why Bollywood wasn't working as well as them. He said, 'It's all because of this corporate culture. It has seeped deep into the industry, and people are only concerned with the economics of a project rather than the story. A director in Bollywood has to answer to 100 people before making a decision, people who have never gone to a film school or assisted someone on the set. It's sad, but it is the truth.'
He appreciated filmmakers and producers from the south and credited their recent success to the amount of freedom they have while working on a project. 'Directors from the south are free to do whatever they want. The corporate thinking has not cemented itself in the filmmaking process over there, and though we are all part of the same country, they are doing much better than us.'